Prometheus

I thought long and hard about what should be the focus of my first post and decided that it had to be a film. Film has been one of the great passions in my life. Ever since I saw Disney’s Aladdin in the cinema as a child, film has captured my imagination and continues to fascinate me. Once upon a time I studied film critically and had thoughts of entering the film industry in some capacity. However, I found that I far preferred to simply watch films and enjoy them for what they are. Therefore, if from time to time films are the focus of this blog, it will not be in the form of a critique but simply a discussion. I don’t claim to know what makes a film good or a bad, I’ll just talk about what I liked.

For my first post I’ve chosen to discuss Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi epic Prometheus. I chose Prometheus for several reasons; it’s currently the topic of much critical debate, it’s associated with Alien which is one of my favourite films of all time and it features Michael Fassbender who is currently one of my favourite actors.

Let’s face it, Prometheus was destined to disappoint to some extent. Any film mentioned in the same breath as Scott’s seminal sci-fi/horror pic, Alien, is never going to measure up. In my opinion, Alien is one of the most expertly crafted films in cinema history. Some will argue that Aliens (the sequel to Alien directed by James Cameron) is the better film but for me Alien wins hands down. From its masterfully claustrophobic atmosphere to its brilliant character development (Ripley has to be one of the greatest film heroes of all time), Alien is a cinema classic whose success will probably never be matched, by prequel or otherwise. So why compare them? If you get over the fact the Prometheus was never going to be Alien, Prometheus is a fascinating film in its own right.

Prometheus begins with Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and her partner Dr. Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discovering a series of ancient cave paintings pointing to a distant planet (LV-223) that they believe holds the truth about the origins of mankind. Shaw and Holloway lead a crew, including the android David (Michael Fassbender), aboard the spacecraft Prometheus to explore LV-223. However, it soon becomes apparent that this mysterious planet is not what they thought it was.


I used to read as many critical film reviews as I could but I found it took away a lot of the mysticism of the films I really enjoyed. I find that critics often get so wrapped up in analysing a film that they forget to enjoy them. After seeing Prometheus I allowed myself to seek out quite a few critical reviews, as I was interested to see how others had interpreted the film. Prometheus has been received with very mixed reviews and I actually agree with most of them, the good and the bad. However, I feel that the bad ones have gotten so caught up in Prometheus’ shortcomings that they’ve missed its hidden depths, which is where Prometheus really shines.

Many of the negative reviews claim that the problems with Prometheus lie in its script. Largely this is true; yes it has pacing problems, yes there is little character development. Many of these reviews also claim there are too many unanswered questions. They’re right, there are a lot of unanswered questions but that’s what makes Prometheus so interesting. We’ve gotten so used to Hollywood films laying out all the answers for us that we’ve forgotten the joy of looking for answers ourselves. Alien itself was full of unanswered question, which is why it lends itself to a prequel in the first place.

Alien played upon the ‘mother’ motif to deliver its unnerving concept of ‘the host’. This motif was then developed further in Aliens, only to be lost in later sequels. In Prometheus, Scott returns to this original premise but takes it further. Prometheus explores the notion of ‘creation’ leading to questions of faith and the human condition. The title, for example, is not just the name of the ship but refers to the whole idea of Prometheus. Prometheus was a Titan in Greek mythology who created man from clay. He also stole fire from the gods and gave it to the humans, enabling the humans to develop. Prometheus also embodied the quest for scientific knowledge as well as the risk of overreaching and unintended consequences (funny they should name the ship after him then). This idea is the main theme of the film. what happens when your creation is not what you thought it would be? What happens when your creation turns on you? We see this not only in the Engineers whose own bio-weapons have turned against them, but also in David, mankind’s creation whose motives become more and more questionable. Not only this, it also becomes apparent in the film that these engineers who created us changed their minds and planned to destroy us. Why? What was wrong with how we turned out?

In one of the films best pieces of dialogue David asks Holloway why man created artificial intelligence. Holloway responds ‘we created you because we could’. David replies coolly, ‘can you imagine how disappointing it would be to hear that from your own creator?’ This epitomises the philosophy behind Prometheus; not all questions have answers, some questions just lead to more questions. Prometheus is full of great moments like this and, whilst I agree that it’s a shame that these moments aren’t supported by a sturdier framework, I can’t help but feel that those who were disappointed with Prometheus where too focused on getting answers rather than enjoying the search for them. I went to see Prometheus with a group of friends and after the film was finished we could not stop discussing it. The general reaction that I’ve gotten from people is that, whilst Prometheus is not without its faults, it is without a doubt fascinating. From its spectacular cinematography to its grandiose themes and nagging questions, Prometheus is nothing if not interesting.

Fassbender delivers another magnetic performance as Prometheus’ resident android, David. In a film lacking character development it’s ironic that the most developed character in the film is in fact a machine. David is played superbly by Fassbender. He is innately likeable as we watch him taking care of the human crew during their cryo-sleep and we feel sorry for him when he quietly takes their underhanded taunts. However, we soon begin to distrust him as he becomes coolly malevolent, single-mindedly pursuing his own answers. Fassbender doesn’t miss a beat. He delivers more of the ominous brooding he delivered in Shame and X-men: first-class mixed with the sly wit he displayed in Inglorious Bassterds. This combination proves to be one of the most intriguing characters I’ve come across in a cinema since Heath Ledger smudged his lipstick. Fassbender has quickly become my favourite actor currently gracing our screens and from what he’s shown us so far I think we can expect great things.

Rapace too offers a fine performance. However this doesn’t really show through until about half way through the film when her character is thrown into some tricky situations. Rapace particularly shines in what is easily the films best scene involving some … aah, ‘gut wrenching’ surgery. Rapace shows just how underutilised she was in the mediocre summer popcorn flick Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Rapace too is another actor from whom I think we can expect to see good things.

If I had my way, there would been no sequels to Alien and it would have been left to stand on its own as the great work of cinema that it is. The Alien franchise took a steep decline after Aliens, firstly with the troubled Alien3 and ultimately resulting in the downright shameful Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (I’m loath to even mention it as I don’t really consider Alien vs. Predator to even be part of the Alien franchise). Considering the trajectory that the Alien sequels took after Aliens, I think any addition to this franchise that may return some of its credibility is welcome. If nothing else, I respect Scott for what he has attempted to do with this film. Scott watched as one of his earliest and most acclaimed works of art was degraded time and time again by underwhelming sequels. What Scott has done with Prometheus is say ‘I’m taking back my creation and I’m going to at least attempt to restore some of its former glory’, and I commend him for that.

It seems to be a trend of late to take cherished franchises and attempt to reboot them (undoubtably due to the guaranteed returns they generate despite the actual quality of the films). I found that generally with these films you leave thinking ‘should’ve left well enough alone’ (e.g. Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the Crystal skull). However I don’t believe Prometheus is in the same vien. Prometheus isn’t a sequel; it’s not even really a prequel. Prometheus is an entirely new story that simply takes place in the same universe as Alien and this allows the film to go in entirely new directions. It’s not the masterpiece many where hoping for but if you let go of all those expectations and go into Prometheus with an opened mind you’ll leave with plenty to think about.

What am I doing here?

Today is the 2^nd of June, not an especially auspicious date other than the fact that it marks the exact mid-point of the year. It is because of this that I have chosen to officially start my blog today. I began this year, as I do most years, with great plans to completely revolutionise my life and ensure that this year would be far better than the last. These plans usually last a month or two (if I’m lucky) until I fall back into the same old pattern of behaviour. Whilst I feel that I have in fact made many big changes this year, I still haven’t achieved quite what I set out to do on New Year’s Day.

This year has brought about a number of big changes in my life (some good, some bad). This is the last year of my 5 year university degree; the end of a lifetime of studying. At the same time I’ve signed a contract to start my first full-time corporate job in January next year; the start of my career. Whilst this is exciting and I will be working for a great organisation, I’m also wary of what this holds for me. Two months ago my girlfriend and I ended our 2-year relationship. The break was essentially mutual but these things are always complicated and needless to say it has been another big change in my life. I always find it interesting to reflect back and think about how much has actually changed in only six months. It’s incredible to compare where I was on New Year’s Day to where I am now.

Having signed a contract to enter into my career at the start of next year, I decided that I needed to make some choices now about where I want my career (and my life) to go. I’ve watched as friends and family have rushed into their careers and have gotten lost, become disillusioned and begun to drift. I decided that I would not do the same, that I will not get lost in the corporate world of glass buildings and grey suits and that my life will be my own. So I've decided to stray from that path and forge my own way.

To that end, I decided I needed to work out what I wanted my life to be. As I’ve always known, I wanted to create something of my own. I don’t know exactly what that is yet but I’ve always had a strong urge for creative expression and largely that is what this blog is about. I see this blog as a building block that may turn into something big or may not. I decided that if I wanted to create something of my own, I needed to lay the foundations now. This might all seem a bit cryptic, but that’s probably because it’s not all entirely clear in my own mind just yet.


I plan to talk about what I like and hope that others will like it too. In this way, I suppose I am also exploring where I want to go and where this blog might take me. The things I like are film, music, photography and style so you can be fairly reassured that these will be the focus of my blog. I don’t consider myself an expert or an authority on these topics, just a fan.