Prometheus

Oh, the (deluxe and grand) humanity.

Ridley Scott has returned, to cinema screens and to glories past. He offers us Prometheus, a prequel of sorts to the magnificent  Alien. The hype has been big: it remained unclear quite how directly the new film would relate to the old, but the trailer was tantalizing. On arrival, Prometheus is quite its own film. It is also mostly a success – a large, bold and engaging action-horror. That it misfires on several counts turns out not to matter too much. The fun outweighs the over-egged statement of themes and sketchy characters.

Fassbender-bot is not sketchy.

Intriguing archaeological discoveries are discovered. Maybe they indicate that humans originate from a distant planet – the crew of Prometheus has been sent into space to look into it. The scientific team is headed by the religious Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace). She is in a relationship with another scientist, Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green). In actual charge is Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), who is an important person from the company which has sent the ship out. Keeping everything running smoothly is the gloriously blond robot-butler David (Michael Fassbender-bot).

Prometheus thrives foremost as a spectacle: exciting action sequences tear through a beautifully realized environment. One of the best of these sees the crew fleeing a tremendous storm on the alien world. The grim and repulsively organic monster horror (an Alien trademark, of course) is also suitably visceral. Visually, Prometheus is deluxe and grand. It lacks the original Alien's pleasingly grubby aesthetic and unnerving restraint – by the point the horror reaches the operating table, it has become a little too much and too often. But on its own terms, this film is dazzling.

Alongside this, the story raises some big questions about the origins of humanity. Unfortunately, this develops into Prometheus' most damaging weakness. It is very disappointing, since the film could have been lifted to impressive heights by such themes, were they handled well. But the big questions lose their impact, being repeatedly and blatantly laid out before us.

We are spoon-fed the issues. Why and how are humans on Earth? Are we disproving God? Is this not very important indeed? (These questions are largely paraphrased from the dialogue.)  In one slightly embarrassing scene, Shaw and Holloway meet sexily and have a Creation-of-Life discussion, before moving on to feel some Creation-of-Life emotions and then enjoy some Creation-of-Life sex.

This is definitely important.

It does not help that most of the characters are not particularly interesting, with little added to the stock roles for the actors to enjoy. Rapace and Marshall-Green do not make much of an impression, the tech guys are tech guys, and Charlize Theron plays a bitchy bitch. For reasons mostly unclear, she refuses to like or help anyone in any way; it does not matter who they are or what they want or need. It is uninteresting, although Theron is good. Guy Pearce's casting, meanwhile, is simply bizarre.

But there is hope. Fassbender-bot is wonderful as David. He is an android to embrace: rather too perfect, blankly charming and sinister too. Does he have his own motives? With an Aryan sheen, he consciously (and a little campily) emulates the airs and hair of Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia. I am only annoyed that the film occasionally requires him to speak in Alienese (so foreign-sounding, we are encouraged to think). But then he utters such lines as "It's quite all right," and we cheer in our seats. He's so beautifully polite! I love Fassbender-bot.

It is quickly apparent that Prometheus will not touch Alien. But the grandeur of the attempt is admirable and it does not tip into folly, despite the creakily exposed shot at loftiness. Prometheus does not quite succeed through its philosophy or humanity; ultimately, it is the spectacle and the android which make it worthwhile.

7.5