Prometheus (Movie Review)

*Updated December 2025

Prometheus is not a film for the squeamish, but if you can get past that, it is a mysterious adventure that will surely keep you glued to the screen. The 3D shots are beautiful, crisp, and shocking at times; it is definitely worth the extra bucks. The film poses and teases us with intriguing questions about our origins in a semi-scientific setting. Without a doubt, it will give you and your friends tons to talk about and discuss once it is over.

Set in the not so distant future in 2089, a group of scientists exploring caves prompt a space exploration that takes place a few years later in 2093. On board of the amazing sculpted ship named Prometheus, we meet David (Michael Fassbender), a robotic man who gives us a tour of the ship. In the journey we meet the first in command, Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), a controlling woman who is cold and seems to hold a grudge against all for no apparent reason.

We learn that Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) funded this trip, convinced by scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) to find an answer to humanity’s origins. The rest of the crew is geologist Fifield (Sean Harris), Millburn (Rafe Spall), and the ship’s captain Janek (Idris Elba). Together they venture into a new world searching for answers and end up finding more than they bargain for.

You will be captivated not only by the storyline, but also by the images of landscapes, alien scenarios and especially of Prometheus; the Star Wars like spaceship. One thing to remember is that this film by Ridley Scott is based indirectly on his Alien movie, but mainly on a Damon Lindelof script.

Lindelof is best known for his work in the TV series Lost, a show that kept many entertained and was an expert in posing unanswered questions. That is said as a warning about the product these two men created together, an entertaining two hours that will leave you with more questions than answers.

Fassbender easily steals the film; he is such an amazing actor that has slowly, but surely shown his versatility and skills in plenty of worthwhile movies, including this one. I was a bit disappointed by Theron’s placement in the movie, as she’s mainly just a background annoyance and I know she can be so much more.

Pearce’s transformation is well done, he’s also hard to identify. Finally, Rapace seems to combine some of her best acting skills into this character, but mainly more so because of her determination and actions than what comes out of her mouth.

There’s no denying that the script lacks in certain places, whether it’s apathy or answers; but most of all it starts getting foggy and muddled, such as with some scenes that seem random and revelations from characters that come out of nowhere and don’t seem to follow a pattern. There are also some typical movie scenes, where some characters want to be the heroes and some make poor choices.

Above all that, what moves the story is the mystery behind it, which although at points it gets frustrating, it somehow works; probably also thanks to the amazing imagery and well-done graphics. The reason why Prometheus is worth seeing is because any good film leaves you talking and thinking about it afterwards, and this one fulfills that job.

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