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For months cinephiles and die-hard Alien fans have been trying to work out the connections between Prometheus and Ridley Scott’s original Alien film. Meanwhile, the filmmakers have spent just as long attempting to put distance between the movie and the notion that it’s nothing more than an Alien prequel, so as not to limit Prometheus‘ potential appeal. Given the state of the Alien franchise(after the underwhelming Alien vs. Predator installments, as well as Alien: Resurrection), it’s no wonder that 20th Century Fox is interested in attracting both the casual moviegoer as well as the die-hard xenomorph faithful.

Unsurprisingly, the movie does offer plenty of tie-ins to the 1979 franchise starter – but does Prometheus find the right balance between loving nods to Alien while alsoworking as an intelligent and captivating standalone sci-fi drama?


Fortunately, the answer is yes – most of the time. While Prometheus delivers a sci-fi experience and story that is nearly unmatched in a modern movie theater experience, its connection to the Alien films is, from time to time, a bit heavy-handed or awkwardly handled – and worst of all, far less compelling than the new storylineunfolding in this film. As a result, Prometheus is going to offer a different experience depending on who is watching it. Both casual audiences and Alien fans should enjoy the core narrative (and breathtaking visuals); however regular moviegoers will likely be confused by some of the time spent addressing Alien universe mythos, and conversely, hardcore fans may be at times equally befuddled by some ofthe answers provided.

Ignoring any pre-conceived notions about xenomorphs, the Prometheus story follows a pair of archaeologists, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and her partner Dr. Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), who discover a series of ancient cave drawings (from different cultures, separated by thousands of years) that point to a single location in space: a distant moon, LV-223.Shaw and Holloway believe that LV-223 is home to an ancient truth about humanity’s origins – a belief that is also championed by billionaire Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), CEO of the Weyland Corporation. After hearing their findings, Weyland agrees to send the pair – along with a fifteen-person crew – to LV-223 aboard the spacecraft Prometheus. However, when the team arrives on LV-223, it quicklybecomes clear that Shaw and Holloway underestimated the implications of their expedition, as age-old questions are answered and new horrors are brought to light – horrors with Earth-shattering consequences for humanity.


The 'Prometheus' Space Map

Moviegoers who have been underwhelmed by Ridley Scott’s non-sci-fi efforts (most recently Robin Hood, Body of Lies, and A Good Year) will be gladto know that the director slips effortlessly back into the genre that he helped define over thirty years ago. Not only does Prometheus feature one of the most captivating and carefully-paced opening acts in recent memory, it also offers a masterful visual aesthetic that easily raises the bar for onscreen sci-fi imagery in modern cinema. In a time when sci-fi/action films snag astronomical boxoffice money (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), it’s easy for studios to rely on a recognizable brand, or visual spectacle, over core filmmaking components – such as competent world building (not just “cool” CGI characters) as well as intelligent scene composition (in favor of non-stop explosions). No doubt some moviegoers don’t want to think about the actual process of filmmaking, but for those who docare, Prometheus should serve as a breath of fresh air (and a welcome reminder) that inspired directing can make a real difference in the onscreen experience.

Similarly, co-writer Damon Lindelof (along with Jon Spaihts) succeeds at delivering a prequel movie that isn’t undermined by later installments and, instead, tells an all-new sci-fi story that (as mentioned before) is much larger and...