Liam usually reviews DVDs available at the Library, but this week reviews a film currently showing at a cinema near you. We saw the film ourselves last night and don’t fully agree with Liam’s review. In his own words. Ed
Thirty years ago viewing an unknown film entitled Alien was effective in changing an audience’s expectations towards a unique science-fiction film.
Thirty years for some, would suggest that Ridley Scott had little interest in approaching any science-fiction film projects ever again and with the final release of Prometheus some would suggest that the only part to get excited about is the use of 3D cinema.
Fascinating and extremely promising
Prometheus begins by being both fascinating and extremely promising cinematically, yet the use of 3D technology does give half the film an incredible uplift and offers an experience similar to watching a live play. It is both subtle and extremely detailed and the cast is well chosen.
The landscapes and details towards atmospheres and meteorology are brilliantly revealed and puts Prometheus high on the list for anyone who may have been enthralled by the direction of Ridley Scott’s return to science-fiction.
Lesser work half way through
The sad news becomes apparent about halfway through, as an interesting and beautiful film turns somewhat lame and sadly becomes made of a second half of a lesser work.
Answers realistically are not what Prometheus works on providing – somewhat mysteriously, anyone connected to the film seemed to suggest that it was a very different film from Alien and they’d be correct. Alien was a work of pure genius and Prometheus definitely ain’t.
Lack of suspense
For such a perfectionist as directors come, Ridley Scott aims at almost copying nearly most of Alien and then would like someone to consider it’s a very different film? So why didn’t you make it different Ridders? What happened?
Suggesting that Ridley Scott is a genius of cinema could be pushing it if you’ve ever seen ‘Black Rain’ or even ‘Legend’. What he did manage was to change the way films were made at a time when change was necessary in cinema. What he’s done with the direction of Prometheus is almost copy the plot-line to half of the story of Alien and remove the suspense.
Lack of imagination
There are parts of Prometheus that work extremely well, but the film seems to baulk after the halfway mark and the sheer lack of imagination becomes staggering at times, even with Walter Hill as one of the producers and Dan O’Bannon onboard as well.
Who would have considered anything other than brilliance would occur with Ridley Scott directing a science-fiction film, may well be disappointed with some of the elements within this work but it’s an equal balance – half is total brilliance and half is worryingly bad but the mark of it as a 3D film should have been a warning all along.
If anyone could work out what Charlize Theron’s character actually does – please let me know.
