Prometheus (dir. Ridley Scott, 2012)
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s Christmas. Need a holiday to show time is still moving.”
Prometheus is probably the most unexpected Christmas film ever made. The fact that it takes place over the holiday only comes up in a couple of places. Text on the screen indicates that the titular spaceship arrives at the planet known as LV-223 on December 21, 2093–otherwise known as the Winter Solstice here on Earth. We also see the captain of the Prometheus, Janek (Idris Elba) put up a Christmas tree in the crew lounge to the consternation of the Weyland Corporation representative Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron). This small scene establishes Janek as a likable and avuncular fellow and Vickers as a cool professional. Don’t worry, the sexual chemistry is still there.
The Christmas setting feels a little unnecessary or underdeveloped, which isn’t an unfair reading of the film. You could say that about a lot of things in Prometheus. However, even the initial draft of the script by Jon Spaihts when the project was still known as Alien: Engineers still took place in late December. All that Damon Lindelof seems to have done with his rewrite was draw further attention to it.
I suspect that the reason for the plot of Prometheus occurring during the winter holidays is add another layer to the film’s allegorical subtext. The film is essentially an uncredited adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s novella At the Mountains of Madness–the second time, in fact, for this franchise after the first Alien vs. Predator in 2004–and draws heavily upon later ideas of ‘ancient astronauts’ as seen in things like The Morning of the Magicians and Erich von Daniken’s Chariots of the Gods? Setting the film during a period of time that’s traditionally associated with the symbolic rebirth of the gods fits with the plot in which our scientists awaken the extraterrestrial engineers who essentially birthed humanity.
Of course, Prometheus is also one of the more disappointing Christmas films ever made. This was probably inevitable. Alien and its first sequel Aliens are iconic motion pictures that helped create a whole aesthetic in science fiction. Ridley Scott was back to the franchise after a thirty-plus year absence, and even if he has a highly mixed record as a filmmaker, he was still the man who helped bring Alien and Blade Runner into the world. Lindelof, who was coming off the divisive end of Lost in 2010, has regained his status as a talented writer and showrunner with The Leftovers and Watchmen this year, but this film was probably the nadir of his professional reputation. He, I think, wrongfully took the brunt of the blame for a film that could hardly have lived up to the expectations thrust upon it.
The problems with Prometheus are largely with its characters, who come across as the dumbest bunch of professionals imaginable. They repeatedly commit egregious acts of stupidity ranging from handling an alien creature with their bare hands to running in a literal straight line from the spacecraft rolling behind them. The characters also tend to be very thinly sketched, though some of the actors manage to imbue them with some personality. Michael Fassbender is the standout of the bunch as the synthetic android and hardcore Peter O’Toole stan David. Noomi Rapace as the lead character Elizabeth Shaw and the previously mentioned Idris Elba and Charlize Theron do some fine work, but the rest of them just don’t have a lot to go on. It’s hard to imagine, though, how Guy Pearce could do much of anything under those layers of makeup and prosthetics.
Still, it’s an amazing looking film with some of the best production design of the decade. That 120 million dollar budget is all onscreen. It’s just a shame that the visuals are let down by a muddled script and uninspiring direction from Scott.
oliveresque 