Prometheus (2012) Review

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Written by: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof
Produced by: Michael Costigan, Michael Ellenberg, Damond Lindelof, and Ridley Scott
Music by: Marc Streitenfeld
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, and Logan Marshall-Green
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
Rating: R (sci-fi violence, intense images, brief language).
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Action
Release Date: June 8, 2012

Before Watching the Movie: There are three things to take into consideration before watching the movie:
    -1). Technically, this movie is a prequel to Alien (1979), but you do not have to have seen it to enjoy Prometheus, although I do recommend looking up a picture of the alien from Alien just for reference if you don't already know what it looks like.
    -2). The less you know about the movie's plot going into it, the better. It's best to go in not expecting anything in particular and with an open mind.
    -3). When watching the movie, just buy into what they tell you and ask questions later. I think this will help you enjoy the movie more.
   
Things people may find "objectionable": WARNING: The movie can get pretty gory at times. If you do not like gore, this may not be the best movie for you. The whole movie is very intense also, as it is partly meant to be a horror movie. There is also some mild swearing, including 1 f-word.

Intro: Ever since I'd heard about this movie, I've wanted to see it. Sci-fi is easily one of my favorite genres and I also think Ridley Scott is a great director (his movie Blade Runner is a favorite of mine). After a few failed attempts at going to see it sooner after it came out, I finally saw it yesterday. This is kind of a landmark movie for me and my three friends I saw it with because it is the first R-rated movie we have seen in theaters without our parents, since all of us had recently turned 17. It was also the first time I have ever been carded for anything. Anyway, I saw a little bit of Alien once on TV, but for the most part I did not have much prior knowledge of the Alien franchise (though I knew what the alien looked like). Prometheus is a real mind-bender with stunning visuals, great acting, and intense action that is thoroughly enjoyable if you submit to what they're telling you first and ask questions later.

Plot: As I mentioned before, it's best to go into the movie knowing as little about the plot as possible, so I'll make this section brief just so it lays out the basic premise of the movie.. A team of scientists led by Doctors Shaw and Holloway (Rapace, Marshall-Green) and a businesswoman (Theron) goes out to explore a star system that they believe human life originated. They believe this because a lot of ancient cave paintings and drawings show a large figure pointing to a set of stars configured in the same way this one system is. They finally arrive on the moon they are looking for and begin searching for extraterrestrial life. What they find gets increasingly weird and terrifying.

Ratings:
     -Directing/Cinematography: 10/10. Ridley Scott is definitely one of the best directors out there in my opinion, and he does his magic in this movie.
     -Acting: 10/10. Very well acted, especially Michael Fassbender, who gives an outstanding performance.
     -Writing: 5/10. This is the weakest part of the movie. The basic story was fine, but some of the individual lines were not great and a few of them were pretty cheesy. The lines seem to work with the movie pretty well, though. There are a few plot holes, continuity issues, and unanswered questions in the movie too, but you should just ignore them and go along with wherever the story leads you. When I saw it, I didn't realize most of the plot holes and continuity until after the movie was over, so they are not glaringly obvious and don't really hinder the enjoyment of the movie that much.
     -Special Effects: 10/10. I will be disappointed if this doesn't win an Oscar for special effects. They were mind-blowing. If you can, see it in 3D. You will not be disappointed.  I'd give this a higher rating than 10 if I could.
     -Music/Score: 10/10. Very good score, fits the movie very well.
     -Power/Emotion: 7/10. Though it took me a little while to get into, by the end you really feel for all the characters as bad things happen to them. (I'd be more specific, but I'd prefer to keep my review spoiler-free, especially for this movie.)
     -Adrenaline: 9/10. The action gets very intense in this movie, especially towards the end, but there is very little action in the first 20-30 minutes because they are setting up the plot, yet it is still interesting.
     -Mind-Bendingness: 9/10. The movie throws out some mind-bending concepts that really grab you. I always love a good mind-bending movie, and this is a good one for that.
     -Humor: 0/10. The movie is meant to be completely serious, so there is really no humor built in intentionally. The only laughs you may get come occasionally from some of the cheesy dialogue.
     -Final Score: Though the movie has gotten some negative reviews, mostly for the writing, the visuals, action, and acting make up for it. My only warning is it's not for the faint of heart, so if you have a problem with blood and guts on screen, I would not recommend seeing this movie. However, I would strongly recommend it to pretty much anyone who can handle that stuff. Prometheus is probably the best true sci-fi movie (outer space and aliens) since Avatar and is not to be missed if you love sci-fi and/or great visuals.