PROMETHEUS
(R)
MOVIE: ****1/2 (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ****(out of 5)
STARRING
Noomi Rapace as ELIZABETH SHAW
Michael Fassbender as DAVID
Charlize Theron as MEREDITH VICKERS
Idris Elba as JANEK
Guy Pearce as PETER WEYLAND
Logan Marshall-Green as CHARLIE HOLLOWAY
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Directed by: Ridley Scott
BY KEVIN CARR
“Prometheus” could possibly have simultaneously been the most maligned and the most praised film of the summer of 2012. It spurred quite polarizing reviews, both coming from fans of Ridley Scott’s classic “Alien.”
Personally, I thought this was a fantastic film. Just as “Alien” was a visionary masterpiece, “Prometheus” tread new ground and made the world more interesting. Where “Alien” was a relatively simple yet terrifying haunted house story, “Prometheus” opened things up. Those who were expecting a tight story that answered only a few questions were left in the dust as the universe became a much bigger place with greater questions and fewer answers.
I loved this about the film. Part of the reason for this was that I know Ridley Scott never does the same movie twice, which is not the case when it comes to a typical “Alien” sequel. This was Scott’s attempt at a “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and for the most part, he achieved that.
“Prometheus” tells the story of a group of scientists who travel to another star system to find the origin of life. There, they discover a tomb of dead humanoids who possibly were involved in the manufacture of life on Earth. However, there are deeper and darker secrets in store for them.
Even as gorgeous as this film looks on Blu-ray, it is a bit of a step down from the IMAX 3D experience, which made you feel like you were actually in the room with the characters. Still, the movie looks spectacular, and the image is quite solid.
As an “Alien” flick, it’s a bit of a diversion. However, for another slice of dark speculative fiction, “Prometheus” is awesome.
The Blu-ray comes with limited features, but these are quite meaty for what they are. There are two commentary tracks, one featuring Ridley Scott and the other featuring writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof. Additional features include “The Peter Weyland Files,” which are short videos giving in-character background to the film, and about 35 minutes of deleted scenes, which has some more insight into the conversation with the Engineer. There is also access to the UltraViolet streaming interface.