Prometheus

I caught director Ridley Scott’s 3-D film “Prometheus” last Friday on opening night. It’s quite a visual feast as are some of his other movies such as “Black Hawk Down,” “Gladiator,” and “Thelma & Louise.” It’s his first return to sci-fi since “Blade Runner” in 1982, and a quasi-prequel to “Alien” in 1979, so I wasn’t about to miss it.

The film is a bit mysterious and I’m still gathering my thoughts over it. What is clear is that it’s about a team of scientists who are sent off into deep space on a corporate project to find clues about the origins of humankind. Their spaceship lands on a planet with some kind of large installation built on it, filled with tunnels and caves. It seems promising, but once the scientists start to poke around inside ominous things begin to happen. They find a prototype corpse and an arsenal of weapons deserted by their owners. Slithery creatures pop up and apparitions run past, what the heck are those holographic like things?! I wish they’d make a dash back to Earth, but a sample from the corpse yields a human DNA match, enticing the scientists further that it might be from our Creator. But if so, what happened at this desolate place?

I won’t give any more away, but suffice it to say, what follows after is not exactly tame or pretty. You might not want to see this movie if you’re pregnant because it pretty much outdoes the stomach scene from “Alien” and is on par with a scene from “The Fly.” “Prometheus” is a movie that starts gradual but shifts into a fast pace of destruction toward the end. Noomi Rapace, who was terrific in the Swedish version of “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” is quite good as the scientist, who follows a bit in the footsteps of Sigourney Weaver, the heroine who made her mark in the “Alien” series. Charlize Theron, who plays the corporate chief in this, seems a bit flat or misplaced to me, but Michael Fassbender as the deviant robot David is wonderful in his role. I still don’t trust him!

The ending of “Prometheus” leaves open various questions and plenty of room for sequels. Why for instance does the Creator seem to hate us so? I guess that’s for next time. But while the film doesn’t exactly match the classic “Alien,” it’s still a visual treat that raises thoughts about the vast universe and our origins in it. For a sci-fi summer blockbuster, it’s well worth its weight in popcorn and admission.

To read more on actress Noomi Rapace check out the NYT’s recent profile of her.