Review: 'Prometheus' is a triumph of style over substance

Film: Prometheus
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron
Director: Ridley Scott
Rating: ***

 

Prometheus heralds the return of Sir Ridley Scott to the universe he created in 1979’s Alien. While the film, like its spiritual predecessor, has a strong female lead and its fair share of bloodcurdling moments, it uses the genre to accommodate an expanded mythos, one where the protagonist hopes to answer probing questions about existence itself.

Prometheus sees archaeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Marshall-Green) lead the group of researchers on an expedition in the titular spacecraft to moon LV -223, which they – well mostly she -- believes is home to the creators of human life.

 

Financed by the geriatric founder (Pearce) of the Weyland Corporation (the film takes place before the Yutani merger that gave birth to the evil ‘Company’ of the Alien series), the mission is overseen by the cold and controlling Meredith Vickers (Theron). While the pragmatic Vickers rarely shows signs of being human, the ship’s genteel android David (Fassbender) begins to display traits that are all too human. Meanwhile, the crew – for some unfathomable reason, a bunch of small-minded misfits and scoffers, learn that they may not be alone after all…

 

For a film whose central theme is humanity’s encounter with forces of a larger-than-life scale, Prometheus begins on the right note. The cryptic opening sequence which depicts the solitary plight of humankind’s supposed forerunner on the prehistoric planet is in some ways comparable to jaw-dropping beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

However, as soon after the motley crew members awake from their cryogenic slumbers, the film descends into a mire of conventionalism and common-sense defying silliness. Blame writers Damon Lindelof and Jon Spaihts’s script for incomprehensibility in terms of certain points in the plot and the failure to etch out peripheral characters convincingly. James Cameron’s Aliens was not without its share of banal dialogues and jarring performances but such drawbacks are more prominent with Scott’s trademark ponderous pacing. Things, however, do pick up once David – who has been biding his time among humans, harbouring disturbing inclinations - starts running amok. Fassbender, channeling Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, just might be the single greatest thing about the film. His performance that (Spoiler alert) puts his character up there with the other great androids from the Alien universe Ash (Ian Holm) and Bishop (Lance Henriksen). However Marshall-Green as Rapace’s skeptical life partner is as awful as Fassbender is great. Rapace does a pretty decent job as the gentle but strong-willed lead. One scene with her in the focus in particular recalls the nail-biting claustrophobia of Scott’s earlier film. Theron, like Fassbender, steals every scene she is in with her ruthless and controlling demeanour. Pity her character was subjected to the delivery of a line where she reveals that Weyland was her father all along (no spoiler alert here since the revelation is of no relevance to the plot anyway!).

 

In spite of the writing that spawns holes which your mind can’t help but keep picking at, Prometheus, which while not coming close to meeting every expectation of this reviewer, somehow works.

 

One can’t guess whether it is the reinvigorated pacing mid-way through, the fine acting, the brilliant visuals (including the magnificent setpieces that build upon HR Giger’s metallically skeletal designs) or the smart, understated 3D that nullifies the carelessly crafted script but somehow Prometheus manages to keep things adequately riveting. Stupid, but riveting.

 

While Prometheus is entertaining enough, for all its promise and lofty themes, the film proves to be a triumph of style over substance with a story as perforated as the floor of an acid-bleeding Xenomorph's lair.