Prometheus, the chronological first film in the iconic Alien franchise, was highly divisive upon its release, yet in the years since, has gained something of a cult following online.
Aiming incredibly high, it sought to explain the origin of the Xenomorph in detail, something which upon release, people found a somewhat difficult pill to swallow, the largest criticism being that the mystery of the 1979 original didnβt need expanding upon.
Whether or not you agree or disagree with this sentiment, Prometheus is an interesting case study in 2010s film design, and makes for a good rewatch in the current year.
Tonally, it may be one of the most different in look and feel, mainly due to the fact that the technology and design utilised in the film doesnβt match the βretro future-techβ that the later prequels and sequels did, and as a result, it feels odd, seeing much more advanced looking technology than the 1979 original film featured, even though this film is set before it.
It also was light on the direct DNA linking to the original films, the score is a markedly different tone, as is the borderline playful vibe of the crew. I remember first time seeing it finding the Captain role, played by Idris Alba particularly jarring. They did not successfully recreate any of the chemistry of the previous alien films, and here, the classic βcrew of misfitsβ archetype is not quite pulled off.
One stellar performance, is Michael Fassbenderβs, as David the android. His movement and speech are fantastic, and he really does feel like an early model android, based on what we see in the films set later in the timeline. His popularity mustβve been evident to the creators, as his role is highly expanded upon, mostly to disastrous effect, in the following film, Alien: Covenant.
Here though, he shines, and is retrospectively one of the best characters, though not the best, as that accolade surely goes to Elizabeth Shaw, brought to life by the ethereal Noomi Rapace.
And here then, is the character that embodies the theme of the film that resonates, and stays with me most: Faith.
In a bold move for a movie about perfect killing organisms from deep space, we are presented with further ambition from the films creators. Not only do they wish to flesh out the lore of one of the most beloved and mysterious franchises in existence, they also want to weave Western religion into the mix, the end results of which give us a considerably more spiritual alien outing than we have ever been blessed with before.
Elizabeth Shaw is a Christian, steadfast in her Faith, even after the discovery that the Engineers found upon the alien planet, are indeed the architects of human life on earth. In a fairly crass way, she is interrogated on her Faith multiple times after this revelation, to which she calmly repeats herself, stating that she still chooses to believe.
As a result the character of Shaw immediately becomes one of the deepest, most human and most fascinating in all of the films. Here, in the face of untold horror, the likes of which mankind has never known, we find devout Faith, even in a situation brutal enough for even the most Faithful to abandon their God.
One of the pivotal scenes of the film, where the remaining crew members attempt to speak to the one living engineer, is a highly interesting one. In the final cut of the film, the engineer appears mute, offering only excessive acts of malice and violence to our hapless crew members. However, in the earliest drafts of the script, since leaked online, an entirely different scene is proposed.
In these early drafts, the engineer explains, in no uncertain terms, that humanity was their experiment, and let them down in a hideous fashion by being such a brutal and hateful race. He then continues that a βSonβ was sent, to teach them how to love, and for his efforts was βkilled on wood. (the wording here is meant to evoke the feeling of a proto-European language style, which the Engineers are noted as speaking in, even in the final cut).
This shocking tidbit is all but ignored by our crew, who piss and moan asking why they were created, including the lines from Shaw left in the final cut βWhy do you hate us?β etc. though without this context, the moment in the film is hard to fathom, even spawning a heavily shared meme online, the text of which reads something along the lines of βThis guy slept for 2000 years, then woke up and killed everyone without saying anything, what was his problem?β
Well, his problem was, mankind crucified Christ.
Itβs been confirmed that this is still indeed the reason the Engineers wanted to nuke the earth with their black goo, and the reason the dialogue was cut was to be less βon the noseβ, which is a shame in my eyes, as the idea of abandoning God at the discovery of the Engineers, only for it to be brought full circle by them admitting Christ was an integral part of their plan for us, is a brilliant act of subversion upon the viewer. One that is entirely neutered by the act of removing the Engineers dialogue.
It also strengthens Faith as the essential theme, and makes Elizabeth Shawβs character, even more important to the film at large. Sci-fi films of the same era all suffer from a kind of nihilistic, Godless tone, and many of them are atheistic in their nature. Man being so quick to use the existence of space for justification of there being no God. Itβs all incredibly shallow and Reddit, and I actually grew extremely tired of the βGrimdarkβ fatalistic sci-fis from this era for exactly this reason.
Prometheus however, for all of itβs flaws, stands as a film that, almost, had the balls to go entirely against the grain. And if, like me, you like your sci-fi with a modicum of humanity, Prometheus can almost be that film, is you squint hard enough.