PROMETHEUS

The rumors about Ridley Scott’s new science fiction movie, PROMETHEUS, are all true. It really is a prequel to the ALIEN movie franchise. It also turns out to be all about the mysterious humanoid alien that the first ALIEN crew found before they ran into the mean alien monsters that have driven the franchise so far. Regrettably, the second half is somewhat similar to the first ALIEN movie. This undercuts the high level of creativity in the movie’s first half. Also, the movie cheats the viewer because it never answers the provocative questions it raises about the origins of the aliens, which also have something to do with the origins of life on Earth.

In the story, two archeologists in 2089 find evidence in several ancient cave paintings across the world that aliens created life on Earth. The paintings point to a specific star system, so four years later, the Weyland corporation sends a spaceship, named “Prometheus,” to investigate. An android robot named David wakens the hibernating team leader, a no-nonsense woman named Meredith Vickers. David informs her they’ve arrived at their destination, a large moon. So, she orders the rest of the crew awake. Included among the crew are the two archeologists, Elizabeth and Charlie, some other scientists, the captain, and the captain’s two crewmembers. It becomes clear after they all wake from hibernation that Elizabeth and Charlie are lovers.

Vickers tells the crew why they came and introduces the two archeologists, who elaborate on their findings. Two other scientists object to their theory, because, if humans were created, then it undermines two centuries of evolution theory. Strangely, Elizabeth still retains the Christian faith of her late father and wears his crucifix. When she’s asked whether the idea that aliens may have created human life on Earth undermines her faith, she replies, “Who created the aliens?” This, of course, is a smart answer and shows why the theory that aliens from outer space created life on Earth doesn’t avoid the possibility that there’s a God. Nor does it discount the claims of Jesus Christ.

The spaceship lands on the moon and finds a large mound-shaped object that’s hollow. A team goes inside. In the spooky darkness, they find the body of a large alien outside a door. David the android has been studying ancient languages and seems able to read the alien notations inside the mound. He opens the door. Inside, they find the alien’s helmeted head and hundreds of small vase-like canisters. The change of the air behind the door causes the canisters to start oozing black liquid. Nobody notices the tiny worms forming on the floor. Elizabeth orders the team to take the alien head back to the ship for examination.

A large storm suddenly forms outside. All but two of the scientists get back to the ship in time. The two scientists are told to stay put until the storm is gone the next morning. In the rush to get back to the ship, no one notices that David stayed behind and put one of the canisters into his pack.

Back on the ship, they cut open the alien’s space helmet and find a humanoid looking face staring back at them. They take a DNA sample to compare the alien’s DNA with human DNA. They find there’s a strong match, which confirms Elizabeth and Charlie’s suspicions.

Meanwhile, for some reason that still seems unclear after seeing the movie, David secretly opens his canister. He finds four elongated alien eggs. He takes a small blood sample from one egg and secretly puts it into a drink he gives Charlie. The next morning, after Charlie makes love to Elizabeth, he notices a tiny worm in his eye. As Charlie gets progressively sick, the scientists still inside the mound are attacked and killed by the worms in the canister room, which have grown much larger. Then, Elizabeth finds an alien lifeform growing rapidly inside her, and all mayhem breaks loose. During the mayhem, David finds the alien spaceship in the mound. One of four aliens still seems to be alive in hibernation. A plan is hatched to wake the alien and get some answers from him.

PROMETHEUS starts off great as far as production/aesthetic values go, but it becomes too similar to the original ALIEN movie toward the end. Thus, what starts off as new and different becomes rather mundane and “been there, done that.” This definitely dilutes the wow factor in the movie’s first half. Also, the true hero, Elizabeth, isn’t revealed until the middle of the story, so that too becomes a bit off-putting, if not confusing. Before her role as the movie’s heroine becomes clear, David the android seems to be the hero. Until, of course, he maliciously infects Charlie with the alien blood.

Furthermore, though Elizabeth retains her Christian faith in the face of what happens (a character with faith is completely new and unexpected for this franchise), the movie cheats the viewer and doesn’t really resolve its major plot questions. So [SPOILERS FOLLOW], at the end, the Prometheus crew gets no answers from the alien when they wake him. Neither do the viewers. Also, after all the mayhem and violence is over, Elizabeth is still searching for answers to her question about the alien race. Thus, the movie doesn’t answer the questions raised about why the humanoid aliens created humans. Nor does it explain the subsequent actions of these aliens. Of course, to really answer these plot questions, the movie might have to take a stand one way or another on the religious, scientific, philosophical questions it raises. Ultimately, PROMETHUES is more frustrating and timid than really interesting or fully satisfying.

Evolutionists won’t be satisfied with PROMETHEUS, because it shows that the human race was created by a designer, albeit a very weird and mysterious alien designer. They also won’t like the central question, “Who made the aliens?” Bible believers won’t be satisfied with PROMETHEUS either, because it raises the question of who made the humanoid alien race, but never answers it. Also, the idea that some super-intelligent alien race helped create life on earth is pretty ridiculous on its face. The God of the Bible is a more rational and more logical, and hence, more scientific, explanation. Finally, the few answers the movie does suggest about the origins of the human race don’t prove anything about the development or possible “evolution” of the human race. Thus, to posit an alien designer of life on earth doesn’t solve all the complex riddles that the theory of evolution has yet to answer. God, the Divine and Intelligent Designer, is still the most reasonable explanation for the existence of life, especially human life, on earth. Unlike evolution, the Bible’s claims about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are more scientifically and more philosophically credible. Also, many historical and archeological findings support them.

PROMETHEUS has very strong scary, intense, and bloody violence. A bloody surgery also occurs during the story. Finally, PROMETHEUS has frequent foul language, but, unlike the other ALIEN movies, there’s only one “f” word. Nevertheless, extreme caution is advised.