If there’s one rule of thumb I hold about movies, it’s that I let them trick me. A successful movie will have me rage at and shed tears for its non-existent characters, leave me shocked by plot twists and turns, and immerse me in its reality while disregarding the obvious contradictions to real-world logic. An unsuccessful movie will have me poking at plot holes, screaming at the stupidity of the antics on-screen, and leave me unimpressed. Ultimately, I would be reminded that I'm in a seat, watching a movie on a screen. Prometheus, the brainy new sci-fi horror film from Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Thelma and Louise), can be considered an unsuccessful film in this regard.
By no means is Prometheus a bad film. The attention to detail in the visual design, practical effects, and CGI is staggering. As expected it is beautifully shot, with some moments leaving me in awe. Scott still has the same touch for terror from 1979's Alien, crafting tense sequences that will leave you squirming in your seat and covering your eyes. And the ensemble cast, which includes the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron (Young Adult, Monster), and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, Shame, X-Men: First Class), brings life to the material. As a collection of individual shots and sequences, Prometheus is a marvel to watch on the big screen.
Where everything falls apart is the script, crafted in part by Lost mastermind Damon Lindelof (also responsible for Cowboys & Aliens and the Star Trek reboot). He, Jon Spaihts, and Scott explore an array of themes, from the nature of man to the existence of a higher being to humanity playing God (the allusion to the Greek myth of Prometheus is definitely intentional), all while building the film up as a prequel to the Alien franchise. Ultimately, they bite off more than they can chew, and the result is a film that is interesting yet jumbled, asking more questions than it can answer.
While this is a film that deserves to be discussed and talked about, the weakness in Prometheus lies in the fact that it’s inconsistent and convoluted. Characters rarely have consistent motivations, the plot veers into illogical directions for the sake of entertainment, and the film is unclear rather than subtle about its mysteries. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't a case of “I don't get it”; it's a case of sloppy storytelling.
But who knows? Ridley Scott is notorious for releasing director's cuts of his films that surpass the theatrical releases (Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven). Maybe I need to see the film again to fully digest and appreciate it (another rule of thumb: a truly great movie only needs to be seen once to get its full effect). But as it stands, Prometheus is an uneven film, containing superb, scary moments scattered across a poorly-written storyline. It’s definitely worth seeing, but it’s too early to call it a masterpiece, let alone a great film.