10 harsh realities of rewatching Prometheus, 12 years later

upon release, Prometheus became one of the most critically and financially successful installments in the whole Alien Series – Still 12 years later, it’s increasingly obvious that some aspects of the movie work better than others. With a 73% critics score on the review aggregator Rotten tomatoes And a global box office of $403 million, the film clearly found a sizable audience. However, with the benefit of hindsight, revisiting Prometheus Reveals some serious flaws that no amount of contemporary critical praise or popular acclaim can overcome.

Prometheus‘ relationship with the Alien Saga is somewhat complicated. Before the release, director Ridley Scott said that the film would share strands of “Alien’s DNA,” establishing a clear connection between the projects. While key story details confirm that the two films are closely linked, The story was not a direct introduction to the original AlienFollowing are various characters and various tangents. This approach has the potential to be bold and effective. However, while the movie’s sense of spectacle remains impressive in 2024, other features feel surprisingly frustrating.

10

The story of the movie’s engineer is a mess

The main protagonists are frustratingly ill conceived

Prometheus‘ Problems are evident from the start, thanks to the opening of the film’s engineer. The aliens, who belong to the same race as Alienit’s enigmatic”Space jockey” are central to every element of the story, having seeded human life on Earth and laid a trail of breadcrumbs for the Prometheus crew to follow several thousand years later. Their presence allows the movie to explore weighty subjects like humanity’s origins and purpose. Behind our creation, unfortunately, the engineers’ actions and motivations fall apart under the slightest scrutiny.

From why they created humans, to how their role relates to our understanding of evolution (a plot hole pointed out by one of Prometheus‘ letters), some aspects of the engineers’ history do not stack up. It is never clear why they would want to lead humans to their weapons reserve on LV-223, nor why the revived Engineer is so determined to destroy humanity once it is awakened. While their presence in the narrative (and in humanity’s own past) raises intriguing questions, Prometheus doesn’t provide a satisfying answer to any of them, making the space jockey’s investigation feel like a wasted opportunity.

9

The black goo makes no sense

Its properties and powers are poorly explained

The problems with Prometheus‘ Mysterious black goo are even more acute than the issues with the engineers. From the beginning, the strange substance is central to everything that happens in the film – hinted at to be the main ingredient in humanity’s creation in the puzzling opening of the movie. However, exactly what the black goo is, how it works, or what its powers are, is one of many Prometheus Plot points that never get a satisfying explanation.

At various points in the movie, the GO is suggested to be instantly fatal to engineers, capable of transforming into an internal parasite (in the case of Holloway), sexually transmissible (as happens with Shaw), and dangerous enough to make Fifield in a zombie. It also seems to be a home for the alien insects and snake-like hammerhead that inhabit the engineering facility. All this proves the black Gu’s potencyBut does not provide a rational explanation for what it is and how it works. This is especially frustrating, given his central role in later franchise installments like Alien: Covenant And Alien: Romulus.

8

The alien symbology is incredibly confusing

It undercuts the sequel story of Prometheus

While Prometheus Does not have a fully-fledged xenomorph (Even the Deacon creature seen at the end is notably different), clues about the iconic creature’s presence are scattered throughout the story. From a mural the expedition team identifies (seemingly complete with an HR Giger-like alien design) to Fifield and Milburn’s ominous discovery that some engineers seem to have exploded from within, the connection isn’t exactly subtle.

The problem is that the xenomorph isn’t just in the movie itself, though Prometheus‘Own sequel contradicts it to have no role at all. According to Alien: Covenant, Xenomorphs as we know them were only created as a result of David’s extensive experimentation. This, however, clearly creates some problems for the creatures’ clear behind-the-scenes role in Prometheus. It is perhaps the biggest example of how later events in the Alien series have made key elements of Prometheus‘ History seem redundant, or even directly contradictory.

7

Prometheus’ characters are shallow (and frustratingly stupid)

Some of their decisions are truly baffling

Like many sprawling sci-fi stories, Prometheus Suffers from being offered limited screen time to its expansive cast. The result is that many characters feel thinly sketched and lacking in motivation or development. Sean Harris’ Fifield, for example, is established early on as being in it for the money, but this seems to have no further bearing on his character. Likewise, Charlize Theron’s Vickers is shown as cold and authoritative, with little reason for her dismissive behavior towards the rest of the team. The result is that major reveals, like the twist that Vickers is Wieland’s daughter, fall flat.

These issues are minor, however, compared to the baffling stupidity of many Prometheus Letters. Whether it’s Holloway’s decision to remove his helmet (despite the dangers of an alien planet), Milburn’s determination to pet a clearly hostile alien, or Shaw’s belief that she should ignore a warning about an impending silica storm for a few more minutes of learning, Characters make a succession of strange decisions, seemingly for no other decision than to move the plot forward. This both undermines their authenticity and makes the whole story feel incredibly contrived.

6

Prometheus casts great actors in minor roles

The cast is incredibly strong

Prometheus‘ Large cast doesn’t just limit character development. It also means that some actors – many of whom would be able to take the limelight in other projects – feel grossly underutilized. While some performances (notably, Michael Fassbender as the android dude) shine, for most of the actors involved, the story gives them a precious few opportunities to bring their characters to life.

The likes of Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce all have surprisingly little in the story. Idris Elba’s Janek plays in one or two scenes before a heroic act of self-sacrifice, Theron is only able to show the cold and ruthless side of her character, and Pearce is absent for most of the runtime, except for a brief interjection at the end. Other actors, such as Benedict Wong, are even more harshly done byAppeared in a couple of short exchanges before sharing Janex fate. The result is a movie full of performance potential, but lacking in end product.

5

Michael Fassbender is great, but David is confusing

The character is full of contradictions

one of Prometheus‘The greatest strengths are Michael Fassbender’s detached, childlike and slightly sociopathic performance Like David. While Prometheus Lacking a traditional main villain, David is as close as the film gets to an antagonist – a role he would fully embrace in Alien: Covenant. However, as watchable as Fassbender is, his character is a frustrating mass of contradictions.

Although the opening of the movie establishes David as a figure trying to learn about his place in the world, many of his defining character traits are never fully explained. His obsession with Lawrence of ArabiaFor example, has a small negligible impact on the story. It’s also unclear why he takes the dramatic step of poisoning Holloway, who he suddenly decides to ally with Shaw at the end of the movie, or to what extent his actions are motivated either by his own curiosity or loyalty to Wayland. The answers to these questions fundamentally change Prometheus‘ Message and meaningStill are never satisfactorily answered.

4

The script often lets Prometheus down

There are problems on a macro and micro level

From both a broad narrative and a specific character perspective, 12 Years Distance proves that there are major problems with PrometheusWriting. The seemingly irrational behavior of multiple characters, the central setup of Weyland’s trillion-dollar expedition never telling its participants where they were going, and the emergence of an existential threat to humanity all arrive without any real internal logic. On reflection, it seems like these events only happen because the script requires them to, not because it makes sense for the story.

The high problem aside, Prometheus Also suffers from some truly grating dialogue. Fifeld’s declaration that he “love rocks“, Vickers and Janek’s stilted flirting, and Holloway’s drunken rant about not being able to converse with a dead stranger all undercut the movie’s more portentous tone and themes. The result leaves Prometheus Feeling disjointed at best and downright awkward at worst.

3

Prometheus’ strengths cannot make up for his team’s problems

The movie’s logic does not stand up to scrutiny

Watching Prometheus For the first time in 2012, The movie’s impressive scale, often sumptuous visuals, and sense of style made up for its other shortcomings.. However, 12 years on and in the broader context of the latitude Alien franchise, the movie’s multiple plot holes seem even more detrimental. In isolation, details like Milburn and Fifield’s strange decision to wander away from the main group add to the air of confusion. But, it’s only with hindsight Prometheus Truly bucks under the collective weight of its narrative missteps.

In 2024, it is possible to fully appreciate how the unexplained black goo, which the engineers really want, and the irrational behavior of the characters all undermine Prometheus In a way that is not always possible thanks to the initial impact of the movie’s screen presence. Much like a movie like Avatar Deflect concerns about its story because of its amazing visual effects, it seems Prometheus Only escaped severe criticism because it looks so good. Now that the impact has been lessened, the movie’s weaknesses seem much more prominent.

2

Prometheus did not need to be connected to aliens

It could have worked as a different project

There is no doubt that Part of that made Prometheus Such a success (and so exciting for fans) was the dual promise of a Alien Prequel and Ridley Scott’s return to the franchise. However, although the connection was a convincing argument for the viability of the project, it was also unnecessary – purely based on the narrative.

A story about a group of intrepid explorers determined to uncover the origins of humanity in deep space could have been a fascinating standalone sci-fi feature, or even the start of a whole new franchise. Nothing about the setup needed Alien To provide a compelling story. Instead, the Alien Easter eggs put the movie in an impossible position – forcing it to try to tell a different kind of story to the original original, while also staying true to the source material. In the end, it proved an impossible balancing act.

1

Prometheus’ story hurt the Alien franchise

It was the worst mistake a prequel can make

In 2012, it was not necessarily clear to what extent Prometheus would impact on the Alien History. While it sowed the seeds for key plot points like the black goo and provided a somewhat disappointing explanation for the space jockey, the relationship between the characters and the story still felt a little tenuous. This all changed with later installments.

Picking up directly where Prometheus abandoned, Alien: Covenant Reconnect the entire saga, rewriting the Xenomorph as an android bioweapon, rather than the “Perfect organism” Featured in the first movie. The development, which completely undermines the terrifying implications of Alienwould not have been possible without it PrometheusRevelation. The fact that upcoming TV series Alien: Earth is set to rewrite this aspect of the franchise again is proof that PrometheusInnovations of the story do not have a positive impact – a damning indictment of the legacy and relevance of the movie in 2024.