Community Corner

'Prometheus' Spectacular, Yet Disappointing

Space explorers battle to save the future of mankind in epic sci-fi action thriller.

 

After discovering a clue to the origin of mankind, a team of space explorers sets out on a mission that will put them in contact with something that could destroy the entire human race in "Prometheus." 

The much-anticipated film stars Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce. The movie was directed by Ridley Scott of "Alien" and "Blade Runner" fame. 

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Billed as a prequel to the sci-fi classic "Alien," "Prometheus" has received less than stellar reviews from critics.

Soren Anderson of the Seattle Times describes the “Prometheus” sets as stunning, but the characters lacking.

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“Most of the characters are so generic or disagreeable that you can't wait for them to have their way-too-close encounters of an alien kind,” Anderson wrote. “While its vast sets and production values are simply stunning, "Prometheus" ultimately disappoints.”

According to Film School Rejects critic Rob Hunter, “Prometheus” has exciting and engaging parts, but the overall movie falls short.

“This is epic science fiction storytelling that too frequently forgets it’s telling a story and yet still manages to be worthwhile spectacle in spite of itself,” Hunter wrote.

Though praising the visual effects of the movie, Hunter adds the story lacks an ending and “it also neglects the details necessary to make their characters interesting, believable and worth our investment.”

Here’s what other critics had to say about “Prometheus”:

“All in all, ‘Prometheus’ is not an unmitigated disaster by any stretch of the imagination - it's a technically impressive visual marvel of a film which has a great start, some promising ideas but disappointingly executed in the final mix.” – Darren Bevan, TVNZ
“Put it this way, if you were eagerly awaiting a reinvigoration of the Alien franchise, some 3D chestbursting, facehuggers popping out of succulent eggs, some fresh psychosexual strand of xenomorphology ready to haunt our lives — a chance for the audience to be one step ahead of the doomed crew — you’re in for a colossal let-down.” – Ian Nathan, EmpireOnline
“ ‘Elegant’ and ‘stately’ are two adjectives that won't mean a thing to the potential teen audience for ‘Prometheus,’ but they're the most apt. Phrases such as ‘not especially well-written’ and ‘sort of a prequel to 'Alien' but not really ... ‘ also apply here.” – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

“Prometheus” is rated R for sci-fi violence including some intense images and brief language.

 

"Promethesus" shows at Beechwood Cinemas 11 and at Carmike Cinemas.


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