There was a lot of hype surrounding this movie coming from a lot of people who cared waaaay more about the Alien-verse than I do. Me, I like movies...a lot. I know that Mr. Ridley Scott has made some pretty good flicks over the years and I didn't hate Alien besides. Plus I really just needed something to do after the purgatory that is my day job. So I decided to give Prometheus a shot. I don't get to movies like this ever very often, so what the hell?
I'm happy to report that Prometheus was a lot of fun. Kept me stressed out pretty much the whole time, which is a good thing. I was into it. The C-section part was pretty intense. If I had never seen Charlotte Gainsbourg smash Willam DeFoe's junk with a block of wood and then cut off her own funny business I'm pretty sure it would've been one of the more disturbing things I've ever seen on film....you know aside from that awful bit with Monica Belucci in the subway tunnel....When you are interested in the art of film making you have to watch some pretty effed up stuff. But I digress, the plot is pretty much Alien. Which is fine...you know...if you like Alien.
I really have to had it to Scott in regards to the way this movie is put together. I mean for an "OH MA GAWD DIS CREETURE IZ EETING MUH FAZE!!!" kinda movie it is outright gorgeous. Sometimes you feel like Scott was just doing stuff because he thought it looked really sweet. And, let's face it, if I were given ass loads of cash just to essentially remake a movie that I made 30 years ago with 10% of that budget I would shoot whatever the hell I wanted too.
In regards to acting, Noomi Repace proved to be far less annoying than most would have been in that role. You spend a lot of the movie just going, "Man, this is gonna suck for you." Charlize Theron gave me the willies while still managing to give me adult urges. And Micheal Fassbender proves that he can play a character incapable of feeling emotion and still be the best actor in a movie.
I didn't get a chance to watch the original Alien before watching this, so I'm afraid I'll prove useless in any chin-beard discussions regarding it's contribution to the overall mythos. As someone who hasn't seen Alien since I was like...17 it was enough for me to go, "Oh ok, that's neat." But the throwbacks to the original aren't that distracting. All in all it's just more fun to approach the movie as it's own animal, like you are walking in mid-conversation. Some people don't like that. But I do. I'm one of those folks who really don't need to know that Bruce Wayne's parents were killed every time I watch a Batman movie, you know?
All in all, the movie is a fun ride that's beautifully shot. But I have a feeling I would not have liked it nearly as much had I waited for the DVD. Scott is one of those directors that has this wild notion that movies should be watched in a movie theatre and this movie is definitely one of those that should. The thin plot and loose but not loose enough relationship to the original are forgiven (just barely) by the spectacle, the strong acting by key players and by sheer craftsmanship. See it while it's still at your local movie theatre, because it's worth a look see.
Update: I just remembered that Guy Pierce was in this movie too. He was adequate. Which pretty much sums up the man's entire career actually.
Update: I just remembered that Guy Pierce was in this movie too. He was adequate. Which pretty much sums up the man's entire career actually.
