Prometheus Preview

Director Ridley Scott returns to his Science Fiction roots with the alien thriller Prometheus. Prometheus is an exploratory vessel that is used to accept the "invitation" of an alien race documented by several civilizations on earth throughout history.  Only now do we have the technology to do so.  The plan was simple: go to their world, explore, report back, and leave.  While the crew of Prometheus hoped to discover clues or maybe even the answer to the oldest question ever "Where did we come from?"; instead they find they were lured into a trap.  This alien race isn't the answer to our origins, but the very real threat to our existence and it's up to them to stop the aliens.

I'll admit, the trailer looks a bit cheesy.  Like George Lucas with Star Wars, perhaps modern movie technology wasn't the best thing for Ridley Scott who had to resort to much more creative and innovative ways of creating his science fiction worlds when he directed Alien, Blade Runner, and Legend some thirty years ago.  Digital effects can often destroy that tangible reality that can't be created on a computer, no matter how good the program is.  It's still digital and still takes something away from a live action movie. And it looks from the preview that there's going to be plenty of computer created special effects in Prometheus. While Scott has directed some amazing movies like Robin Hood, American Gangster, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and G.I. Jane, his most recent producing endeavor was The Grey with Liam Neeson which was a pretty big disappointment for both Neeson and Scott.

I'm also a bit hesitant as I look over the cast and see that other than Charlize Theron, it's mostly a long list of not-so-well-known actors.  Topping the list are Noomi Rapace (who bears a striking resemblance to a younger Sigourney Weaver which may just be coincidence) who made an appearance in the Sherlock Holmes sequel and in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; and Michael Fassbender who's work includes X Men: First Class, Jonah Hex, and Inglourious Basterds. But it's mostly Ridley Scott's directing and return to Science Fiction that I am looking forward to.  I honestly don't have high hopes for a great story or Oscar-worthy acting.  I do hope to be entertained. I do want to see how a thirty year hiatus from science fiction and modern digital technology will manifest themselves in Prometheus.  I'm predicting a generous 3 star rating.  We shall see.