Prometheus Almost Lives Up To Expectations

In case I haven't made it clear already: I'm a huge fan of Alien (as well as its initial sequel, Aliens).

To appreciate just how much I love that 1979 Ridley Scott movie, I re-watched it for probably the 10th time last night, just an hour or so before we headed out to see its prequel, Prometheus. This, despite the fact that we watched it with Emma last November! I think Alien is simply an incredible film, and every time I see it I spot something that I'd never noticed before and I gain a new appreciation for how great it really is.

Because of that, I had high hopes going into Prometheus, and it very nearly matched them. (And thanks, once again, to brother Richard and sister-in-law Meena for paying our way in to see it, via the birthday gifts they gave us in March.) As Vicki said this morning, it's going to take at least a 2nd viewing for us to wrap our heads around everything in it. I will say right up front, though, that visually, it's a masterpiece. There's so much to see that you end up wishing some of the scenes lingered longer than they did.

The story is fairly complicated, and I'm not convinced yet that it's all internally-consistent, nor consistent with the rest of the Alien franchise. There are also some unanswered questions that I would've expected to be dealt with. But I'm reserving judgment on all of that for the moment. I was definitely enthralled from the opening scene right through to the final one, both of which are quite significant, by the way.

The film clearly sets up a sequel, and I hope director Ridley Scott proceeds with one. Something I'd heard, prior to last night, was that you could think of Prometheus as setting up two separate storylines. The first is the one that Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and so one take forward; the other is one that any sequels to Prometheus will explore. Having now experienced the new movie, I can see how that's true, and I can say that I'm very interested in seeing where the second thread leads.

I'll admit to a fair bit of confusion by the time we left the theatre, but some overnight contemplation, morning discussion with Vicki, and this great article on it have all helped to clarify many of its complexities in my mind. Vicki and I both want to see it again soon, and that should further help in that regard.

I'm really curious to find out how I'll feel about Prometheus by the time it comes out on DVD (Blu-Ray!) in a few months, as by then I think I'll have a much more fully-formed opinion of it than I do right now, less than 12 hours after my first taste of it. I can say, though, that it's a definite 'must see' for anyone who's a fan of the Alien series, science fiction in general, or even just thought-provoking concepts.