REVIEW: PROMETHEUS

3/5

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron. Director: Ridley Scott. Screenplay: Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof

The beginning of the end.

Ridley Scott's iconic and classic 'Alien' trilogy set the tone for Sci-Fi movies and raised the bar for extra-terrestrial films when they turned Sigourney Weaver into a superstar. With its huge success, the general poor quality of other alien-life movies trying to imitate, the souring of the 'Alien vs Predator' spin-off franchise and modern cinemas ever raging desire to remake classics there was always going to be a prequel.

Thank the movie God's that legend Ridley Scott took the helm of 'Prometheus' because anyone else then the original director would have turned this expedition into a sinking ship. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron 'Prometheus' is a spin-off/prequel, proceeding but not directly connected to 'Alien' or as Scott says "the same strand of DNA (as 'Alien')".

Prometheus is also the ship that takes this crew out of this world and into the one that brought Scott his greatest success. Ridley is back on radical form with his incredible impressions and wonderful worlds. The landscape of the opening credits is incredibly beautiful, especially in three dimensions and from Scotland to far away lands the backdrop of this movie setting is boundless and sublime. Still just like the iconic 'Alien' film the best, most taught and tense scenes are on the ship. With clever but not generic nods to the original and a whole new sense of disgusting peril, this is more than a homage revisit to the franchise...it's a whole new reinvention.

The crew know how to man this vessel too. From Charlize Theron's chilling performance in charge, cold and calculated to an unrecognizable Guy Pearce going out of his range for a real performance. It's the 'Inception' Tom Hardy like charm of Logan Marshall-Green and the ever-growing real reputation of Idris Elba that almost steal the show however. Still when you have the rapid ascension of the talents of Michael Fassbender on board-especially as a 'basketball on bicycle', 'Lawrence Of Arabia' studying android not much is else is going to compute. That is until you see how Scott's new Sigourney muse Noomi Rapace leads things. After inking her reputation as 'The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo' and solving crimes with Holmes and Watson in 'A Game Of Shadows' Noomi gives her defining performance on board of 'Prometheus'. From her raw emotion to her serious screen presence Rapace could not be replaced.

Hardcore fans and those seeking more of the original extra-terrestrial life will not be disappointed. Even after a marketing campaign somewhat shrouded in secrecy this film reveals a new side that old and new fans can get used to. Those who treat this science fiction as science fact will finally be told the history of the back-story they've for so long craved to explore. Whereas new generation fans who weren't even a baby in a belly when the first one came out can now watch all the films in chronological order as they have aliens bursting out of peoples chests to look forward to next. Going back to the original after over 30 years of new, inventive tries at futuristic/alien movies Scott's ship still has life in it yet.TIM DAVID HARVEY.