Is Prometheus Overrated?

(Since this is an obvious discussion about the recently released PROMETHEUS, a minor spoiler warning is in effect.)


We as free-thinking film-goers love to watch something and talk about it afterwards. You don't just go see a movie, whether you actually wanted to or as a forced upon companion, and not have an opinion about something with it. As the output of major films continue to churn out, and as the power of the internet grows more and more significant, so does film discussion. Of course, since we just love to follow the path of derision and schadenfreude on the web, negative thoughts about a film are the ones most cherished and brought up. Midichlorians, anyone?


Since its highly-anticipated worldwide release on June 8th, after a pre-release a week early in the U.K., PROMETHEUS has been the film everyone has been talking about and having different but very charged opinions. Some critics, such as Roger Ebert, have given it perfect marks while others have lambasted it severely. With the popularity of web-series, the film has been featured all over the place with some digging with it despite a few errors while others nit-pick it apart in every detail or list off all of the questions plaguing them after the experience. Then, of course, you have the ALIEN fan base, who also want a piece of the action in the decrying.




Despite all of the pans and whines, even if they are all very, very true, I will not change my current rating or review of the film. I still stand by it, declaring the film an unfortunate missed opportunity but a fine film to ultimately watch. It is not the epic it wished it was and wanted to be. Instead, it settles for being regular sci-fi fare.


That last statement is best summed up when I was talking about the film with one of my best friends on Saturday. He did not see it yet, looking over his options and what type of theater display to see it in. He asked me if PROMETHEUS was very much in-line with THE MUMMY, the 1999 action-adventure film whose franchise was once a big thing to attack online. His question hit me to my core and cleared my mind, because it was a definite yes. The action set-pieces, the archaeology, the stupid idiots touching things, etc. These things matched up perfectly with PROMETHEUS, instead of the other artfully done sci-fi films like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY or SOLARIS. Instead of being the next big masterpiece, it was better as a B-movie with some big statements and themes, kind like the movies that were the inspiration/ripped-off for the original ALIEN film. With that mindset, you could theoretically handle the bad old man make-up effects, the really stupid scientists, the many science discrepancies, and the extended chase at the finale.


I'm not trying to say you need to turn off your brain in order to enjoy PROMETHEUS. You should never do that ever, unless you really wanted to easily lose an argument with someone. You as the viewer should always be thinking and feeling with a movie, choosing what works and doesn't works for you. In the case of PROMETHEUS, it didn't wow me too much in its bloated epicness but it was still holding on by touching upon major themes I do like to see in a major motion picture. Discussing religion versus scientific fact in a sci-fi film and having the CGI power to back it all up? Extended body horror motifs, including that which the ALIEN franchise has touched upon? Yes, please I want some more.


Thanks to the many discussions, I have been thinking about this film everyday since watching it Friday afternoon, which is a plus in its favor no matter the quality of the product itself. I still hold out for a director's cut of it on DVD unless the film was the true and only vision of Ridley Scott's. Maybe that will limit the naysayers down significantly or not. Regardless, I am just happy that a current film has caused this much commotion about what's on the inside, instead of was happening on the outside. I'm looking at you, THE LONE RANGER and WORLD WAR Z.