Prometheus

directed by Ridley Scott

Sometimes, style is all you need to make a great film, and we all know that Ridley Scott has style for days. Even when his movies don’t quite pack the punch we all thought they would (Robin Hood, Matchstick Men, Body of Lies), his style and competence are second to none. Luckily for Mr. S, Prometheus does possess the chops necessary to make it a worthy addition to the grand Alien canon which, excluding the Alien vs Predator nonsense, is hands down one of the finest and strongest collections of science fiction around. In fact, as a unified collection or series of films, I would go so far to say the Alien Quintilogy (Prometheus included now) is the standard by which all other science fiction film series should be judged.

Prometheus is a very deliberate film, as I have discovered after talking with some acquaintances, many of whom seemed to have the same question about the plot, which was, “huh?” I never had that huh? moment, instead allowing the film to show me what it was trying so hard to say through symbolic imagery, subtext, mythology, etc. Some may find the tactic pretentious and banish it as such, and there are many other times when I agree to this banishment. Prometheus, for me, did not come off as snobby, instead doing an admirably textbook job of adhering to the old “show, don’t tell” rule. I will not get into any spoiler situation, but for those of you who have yet to see it: believe the hype. Fine acting from Noomi Rapace, even finer acting from Michael Fassbender, stellar cinematography, score and slick directing make Prometheus the designer suit for science fiction fans this summer.

PS I have to give a special hats off to Dariusz Wolski for such breathtaking cinematography. Anyone familiar with Wolski's work will remember the filthy bleakness of The Crow, the perpetual nightmare of Dark City, or even the lush textures of the Pirates films. The darkness, however is where your talent truly rests, Mr. W.