Let me start off by making it clear I'm not an Alien fanboy. In fact I'm not sure I've even seen them all? But I certainly have nothing against them. So I went into Prometheus with almost no expectations. I barely even saw the trailer.
So, what struck me first was of course the incredible CGI and the elaborate set design. It really is very pretty and very believable, so top marks there.
As the film progressed I then became enamered by the role played by Micheal Fassbender, which is essentially that of a slave. He is a robot tasked with keeping the ship in order and the crew happy. What I love about Fassbender's performance is that even early on you get the distinct impression that his character resents his job, but it's very subtle.
Of course, the plot quickly moves on and the human crew is off exploring the depths of some unknown planet until the inevitable happens, and actually this part of the film is fairly gripping, but while watching it I can't help but feel a bit lost, because I don't know which sub-plot I'm supposed to be more interested in; the humans fighting to survive in the caves, or the robot back on the ship struggling for equal rights. I think the writers want me to care more for the humans but I just don't. By this point in the film I don't know them well enough to care, although most seem perfectly likeable.
But maybe I'm nitpicking. Ultimately it is still entertaining to watch what's going on in the caves. And the other performances are good as well.
So, my overall thoughts? It's a very pretty film with a nice score and some impressive escape scenes, but for me it just lacked direction. I didn't really care when characters died. So, maybe give it a watch if you find it on Netflix, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.
