Prometheus (2012)

Plot of Prometheus: After finding numerous references in ancient scripts to a star cluster in a distant galaxy, a spacecraft, Prometheus, is sent out to the location, carrying a mixed crew which includes a representative of its sponsor the Weyland Corporation, and Elizabeth Shaw the archaeologist who found the scripts, and David an android. The craft lands on LV-223 and the crew go to explore a structure which seems to have been constructed. They can breath the air. They see a ghostly film of running giants and discover a body. Most get back to the ship, but two are lost in the structure and are killed by strange creatures. The others are temporarily isolated on the ship by a storm. David is acting on behalf of the owner of the Weyland Corp, who we find is on the ship, and brings back a container of strange liquid, with which he doses Elizabeth’s partner. She becomes pregnant but with what? It is downhill from there.

Content of Prometheus: Elizabeth and her partner have non-revelatory sex. We get  a trip round the Prometheus (the name of the space ship), within which there is a detachable living module. The ship lands within range of a strange structure on the moon which the crew explore. They release mapping devices which create a 3D map on the Prometheus, revealing that it is a space ship. Within the structure David finds its pilot house and gets stuff going. The others find a body and take the head back to the ship, just isolating it before it explodes. The two guys who are lost find snake like things but being unwary are killed. Elizabeth has herself operated on by a surgical system to remove an alien. There is a constant atmosphere of doom. There is a theme that Humans are the result of work by “Engineers” and it is their space ship which is found.

A View: This film was pretty well thought of by everybody. Roger Ebert gave it four stars out of four. There are problems with the script which require some suspension of disbelief, but nevertheless the constant level of tension is  extraordinary. This is the second time I have reviewed the film on this site. This time I was able to watch the surgery but was still taken by surprise by some of the monsters, which are terrifying. I have recently reviewed a film where the actors seemed to be just that, actors, but this lot are absolutely terrific and what a courageous woman Noomi Rapace must be. So really worth a watch if you have not seen it.

This film is one of the Alien franchise so if you are new to it start with Alien, then Aliens then possibly more controversially Alien Resurrection.