Prometheus: Do we really want to meet our galactic neighbors?

I'm truly excited. I'm about to write a review of a film that was released this past weekend. This doesn't happen very often, but I was so thrilled to see Ridley Scott's Prometheus that I felt a pressing need to see the film in theaters. After all, I was far too young to see any of the Alien films (and for the first, I was yet to be born) in a theater. From the trailers, Prometheus promised to be an event, both visually and thematically, much like the first Alien--Aliens was much more of an action-thriller than its predecessor, but a great action-thriller. As I read audience reviews, I found that most people either loved the film or hated it; and after watching the film myself, I found myself falling on the love-side. Prometheus is a thoughtful, suspenseful, stomach-turning, visually appealing, and grand affair that shoots for an Alien-masterpiece-repeat, and could quite possibly make it there.

Scott opens his film with some striking landscapes, photographed in such a way that they are familiar, yet alien all at once. We could be seeing Earth, but there is a distinct possibility that we are not. I believe we are witnessing a pre-human Earth, and near the end of the sequence we see a large human-like man with pale skin, gazing at a gigantic disc. Obviously, he is an alien. His face is one of duty and longing. The ship ascends back into the heavens and the man takes something. He is a sacrifice. Whatever he takes travels throughout his body, breaks down his DNA and skin cells, effectively killing him, and he falls down a waterfall; the remnants of his body are carried away down river. The idea here is that we are witnessing the beginnings of humanity. The alien's DNA starts the process of our evolution.

Thousands, maybe millions, of years later, a pair of scientists (Dr. Charlie Holloway and Dr. Elizabeth Shaw) are in Scotland, excavating an ancient site. They find a familiar symbol, a symbol they have found at similar sites throughout the world, during a time before these disparate civilizations even knew other cultures existed. Holloway and Shaw have a theory: The symbols (a lone figure pointing to the heavens at a constellation) represent humanity's "engineers", the very beings who created us; and conversely, the constellation is their calling card. Holloway and Shaw believe the "engineers" want us to seek them out.

Jump ahead a little more than two years, and the doctors--along with various other characters--are in a spaceship, Prometheus, orbiting an alien world. This world is at the center of the constellation referred to by the ancient civilizations. The two doctors are, of course, excited to be so close to all the answers to their questions. Who are why? Why are we here? Why were we created?

Sadly for them, Dr. Holloway's response to the android David, pretty much sums it up, "Because we could."

What happens next is on par with an Alien-movie, but that doesn't mean there aren't any surprises in store. Nor does that knowledge detract from Scott's achievement, both in storytelling and in visual appeal.

Recently, I've been curious as to the popularity of The Avengers; it's a good movie; but I, unlike many of my friends, don't have a desire to see it multiple times, at least not until it comes out on BluRay. Prometheus is the type of film I want to see again, in theaters. It's a film that utilizes the best components of a theatrical experience: beautiful, terrifying images; good writing; intriguing questions and possibilities; terrific special effects. Pretty much, Prometheus is a phenomenal example of why I like the science-fiction genre, and just another example of how a film can be equally entertaining and thought-provoking.

This is definitely the type of film I'd pay to see again, maybe even in IMAX 3D.