Prometheus

Director Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien universe is a philosophical sci-fi horror.

In the late 21st century, archeologist Rapace discovers a series of identical star charts amongst the ruins of several disparate ancient civilizations. Viewing this as an invitation from humanity’s forerunners, the elderly chair of the massive Weyland corporation funds an expedition to follow the charts deep into space to an earth-sized moon orbiting a massive planet. The crew travel in stasis, watched over by David, an android played by Fassbender who passes the time watching the dreams of the various crew-members and Lawrence of Arabia.

Upon landing, the crew discover the remains of what appears to be an ancient alien species with DNA that matches humans. Things go downhill fast, though, and the search for knowledge quickly devolves into a struggle for survival, as the Weyland corporation’s hidden motives and the true nature of the alien species become clear.

The film is more bombastic and action-driven than Scott’s original Alien, but less so than James Cameron’s sequel Aliens. The visual effects are amazing, with immersive environments that manage to impart feelings of dread and awe simultaneously.

The central theme of man’s innate desire to understand his creation provides a great hook, though the film’s lack of concrete answers will be frustrating for some. This isn’t a film about where we came from, but one about the need to ask the question, as best illustrated by Fassbender’s character, David, an android who views himself superior to humans and thus can’t understand the desire to meet one’s maker. Which begs the question: What if, upon meeting our creator, we were unimpressed?