Page 20 THE VILLADOM TIMES III & IV • June 20, 2012 ‘Prometheus’ recounts gripping, philosophical tale by Dennis Seuling “Prometheus” is a lush-looking science fiction film that has epic aspirations. More than just an “us against them” alien warfare flick, it takes its time to explore the origins of man on Earth, examine the conflict of faith with science, and depict a future corporate America with suspect motivations. Though the studio is reluctant to label “Prometheus” a prequel, that is exactly what it is. Specifically, it relates incidents leading up to those in “Alien” (1979), one of the best movies to combine the horror and sci-fi genres. That film contained shocking moments, introduced moviegoers to the warrior heroine Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), and presented the imaginative designs of Swiss artist H.R. Giger. “Prometheus” prefigures “Alien” with familiar scenes, similar characters, and an identical setup: an expedition to an outlying, hostile planet. This earlier mission occurs in 2093. After a long cryogenic sleep, the crew of the spacecraft Prometheus is awakened by robot David (Michael Fassbender). The small crew includes Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), her partner and lover Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), the ship’s captain (Idris Elba), and Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), the corporate executive sent to oversee the mission. On Earth, pictograms from civilizations thousands of miles and centuries apart showed remarkably similar images suggesting knowledge of beings from beyond our planet. The mission of the expedition is to find the ancestors of these aliens. Trouble begins when crew members leave the spacecraft to explore the planet. The alien life forms they encounter are far from hospitable, and the body count begins to mount. The aliens have gruesome ways of turning the space explorers into unwilling hosts, and director Ridley Scott is not shy about showing in detail how these feats are accomplished. Scott has a comfortable feel for science fiction and treats the genre with respect. However, he might be aiming too high with the philosophical questions he raises. Intended to enrich an action adventure, they tend to be narrative-interrupting distractions. Viewers are interested in what happens to the crew members, first and foremost. Pondering the origin of the universe or the influence of alien life on Earth might better be reserved for a documentary. Theron turns up in her second icy leading role in as many weeks. As the evil queen in “Snow White and the Huntsman,” she practically exuded poison. In “Prometheus,” she is an unsympathetic, unsmiling, no-nonsense corporate big wheel sent along to make sure the corporation is getting its money’s worth. When she casts a withering glance or utters a terse command, you can practically see the air freeze. Rapace’s Dr. Shaw is the exact opposite. She is a “one of the guys” team player who thinks first about her fellow team members’ safety. A strong-willed woman, she doesn’t attempt to hide her faith, exemplified by the cross she wears around her neck. Though her career is predicated on cold, hard science, she believes faith and science can coexist. This theme is highlighted, sometimes not that subtly, throughout the movie. A major scene later in the film illustrates her ability to face a dire situation with intelligence, if David (Michael Fassbender) is a cyborg in Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus.’ not exactly cool-headedness. Fassbender’s David, the robot, loves to watch “Lawrence of Arabia” and patterns his speech and posture on those of Peter O’Toole. His even-tempered voice conveys pleasantness, but little emotion, since he says everything in the same cadence. Viewers will be reminded of HAL in “2001: A Space Odyssey” and of those infamous robots from the “Alien” trilogy: Ash (Ian Holm) and Bishop (Lance Henriksen). Like the “Alien” cyborgs, David is enigmatic. Is he merely a servant of the mission, programmed to assure its success, or has he developed free will and is only pretending to be the perfect enabler? “Prometheus” is rated R for graphic violence, sexual situations, and strong language. The film is well made and engaging, with many connections to “Alien,” both in visual design and plot. There are some cool special effects, such as self-propelled flying orbs that electronically map the twisted caverns of the planet, huge spacecraft, and a variety of alien life forms, each one slimier than the last.