Prometheus

PROMETHEUS

Written by Damen Lindelof & Jon Spaihts

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron

When it was revealed that director Ridley Scott would be returning to the origins of the beloved Alien anthology, nerds worldwide rejoiced. Natural scepticism was cast aside with the release of what was quite frankly the best trailer in recent years, and the stage was set for an genre-defining masterpiece. Arriving so heavily laden with expectation and import, Prometheus sadly buckles under the weight of its own grandeur, and is brought crashing down to earth by the burden of its history and the holes in its exoskeleton.

Archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall Green) have stumbled upon the last piece of the puzzle they have sought to comprehend their whole lives, discovering what they believe to be an invitation to a star system that may house the creators of humanity. Bankrolled by the Weyland Corporation, they set off in the appropriately named starship Prometheus with a crew of 16 humans and a service android named David (Michael Fassbender). But with many of the crew having agendas of their own, and the planet they arrive on housing even darker secrets, what promises to be the secret to humanity's beginnings may well be its end.

From the bizarre opening title sequence to the awe-inspiring crash at the film's climax, this is a visual feast - shot superbly in 3D, it never fails to amaze and is clearly the result of skills honed by years of filmmaking experience. Scott's deft hand can be seen throughout, and the film is paced like a leviathan's steps, each grand moment booming with import and awe. There is much to be said for Scott's ability to bestow wonder on an audience and to imbue the movie with his passion for all things space – each and every time a ship takes off or a chamber door grinds open, it's hard not to hold one's breath.

The problem is that this sense of grandiose things to come is entirely negated by there being very little of worth actually said. There are more questions than answers, and not in a way that satisfies. Though the plot concept is simple, the execution is muddled and unwieldy. Those familiar with screenwriter Damon Lindelof's body of work (specifically Lost) will recognise the lofty tone of the author who holds his secrets close to his chest, teasing with them as often as he can; however, when Damon reveals his hand, it is in such an underwhelming fashion that you immediately understand his need to bluff in the first place. One can't even name exactly what in the film is Promethean. There are far too many places in the script where the obvious is repeatedly stated outright – no one ever shuts up about David being "not human" – and other times where an explanation could well suffice for the outlandish actions of the Prometheus' crew and its aggressors.

Which brings us to the crew, of whom there are far too many. The film suffers from Inception complex, where each character could have something interesting to say if they were only given the time to say it. It's clear that there are issues in characterisation when the only character with agency, foresight, logic and a clear narrative arc is the robot everyone lampoons for being devoid of humanity. Having said that, Fassbender is characteristically hypnotic, particularly in a sequence involving a 3-dimensional map of the universe that is genuinely awe-inspiring. Why is it that the android, famed for his dry wit and lack of empathy, shows such wonder where the archetypal scientists barely blink?

Despite making inexplicably stupid decisions, the women of Prometheus do a solid job, but poor Kate Dickie (otherwise superb as Lysa Arryn in Game of Thrones) is given nothing to do except redundantly read off clearly legible computer screens in her Scottish brogue. Guy Pearce is similarly wasted as the main draw on the makeup budget, and it's barely even worth mentioning Logan Marshall Green, who manages to turn both a noble act and a sickening body horror sequence into dead space.

Comparisons with the original Alien were always going to be an issue, however, and Prometheus fails to stand as a flag bearer for its anthological kin. In fact, it seems this Scott could have taken notes from himself - the real tension of the original was based in rarely seeing the antagonist, and all of Prometheus' weakest points come when the aggressors step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Sure, they aren't the man-in-a-suit that Alien had, but despite their detail and size they simply aren't frightening. There are so many onscreen deaths brought about by people simply being punched, it's as if Scott thought putting the Hulk in the picture might add to the box office intake; and a sequence in which one person is killed by a leviathan spaceship crashing on top of them features another whose life is saved by rolling out of the way.

The film would have been perfectly fine without a single xenomorph – by choosing to include them, Scott makes the decision to show the evolution of the creature, but does so only in a single shoot which is so pornographically structured that it's impossible to take seriously. Simply put, it's fan service. Any and all creatures shown are laughably phallic/yonic and far removed from the original alien. There are many beaked vaginas. In fact, the villains of this film have less in common with Alien and more in common with Teeth.

Though Prometheus has the loftiest of goals and intentions, it is a perfect example of post-Avatar science-fiction: dumbed down and drained of true inspirational power. Despite astounding visuals and a moving soundtrack, it is a poor replica of its beloved predecessors, like many other recent prequels. It is worth seeing for its aesthetic alone, but those seeking sci-fi satisfaction will be disappointed by the unscientific nature of the film. It is a beautiful sarcophagus for the Alien anthology that will sadly rot away long before the corpse.