Prometheus: Possibly the best movie of 2012

Introducing the evening’s exclusive screening of Ridley Scott’s new film Prometheus, the marketing director of 20^th Century Fox called it “the most anticipated film of the year”. Obviously looking to win the prize for the biggest understatement of the year, he made his way to his seat and the lighting around the IMAX theatre lowered. The film everyone was talking about was finally about to begin…

Feeling as though he still had some unfinished business to attend to, Ridley Scott had always planned to make another Alien film, whether it was a prequel, or a sequel to the 1979 sci-fi hit, it didn’t matter to him. Prometheus has been in development for nearly 12 years and for many film fans, the Alien franchise has always been what Scott is best known for in his directing career. With all this pressure and a marketing campaign fit enough for the Queen’s Jubilee, Alien “5” arrives onto our screens this coming Friday and I got the opportunity to see it in IMAX 3D.

The story begins while the 21^st century draws to a close. Archeologists Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover a star map in the mountains on the Isle of Skye, off the Scottish coast. Convinced the map holds clues to the existence of the human race, they assemble a team of scientists and humanoid David (Michael Fassbender), to follow the map to the planet where they believe the “engineers” of the human race are to be found. However, these “engineers” may not be as welcoming as first thought… 

Right from the word go, Scott overloads our visionary senses with the vast, barren landscape of this alien planet the crew are about to visit. As the title credits roll, the mark of the director becomes clearer as we are gently eased into this new time space and the characters that would be assisting on the mission. The plot is simple and familiar, but exudes a whiff of originality with the impressive technology and genuinely funny pieces of dialogue; even if you have not seen any of the previous Alien films, do not worry because the lack of backstory knowledge will not hinder the enjoyment of the film.

Like many Ridley Scott films, the female characters are always amongst the strongest and Prometheus is no different. Mission director Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) is a formidable force as she struggles to control her team and remain the alpha. Looking like she has just walked off the set of Aeon-Flux, Theron spends much of her time glaring at her team and is thrown after the arrival of equally strong natured Elizabeth Shaw. After her flawless performance as Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish adaptations of the Millennium series, she delivers much on the same level as the lead female character. 

The special effects and visionary details of the planet’s landscape and ship’s interior are second to none. The 3D effect is subtle but incredibly effective, becoming an advertisement for what 3D can do when it is put in the right hands. Witnessing the debacle that was Wrath of the Titans, it was nice to see the technology in safe hands. 

Running along the same track as The Cabin in the Woods, the real pleasures from watching Prometheus comes from discovering the unexplored planet along with the characters, so I don’t want to divulge too much detail on who these “engineers” are and what they want. What I can say is Prometheus takes all your expectations and hits them way out of the park. The film is nothing short of a masterpiece and I can safely say not one member of the audience was thinking of the Dark Knight Rises as they left the auditorium. Glancing at the summer schedule for 2012, Prometheus has raised the bar high. One could say it has raised the bar to “intergalactic” heights. Watch your back Batman!

Richard Taverner

Prometheus is released nationwide on 1^st June 2012. 

Watch the trailer for Prometheus here: