Color me disapointed.

It's strange to say that for a movie that ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth, I actually was enjoying it for about 2/3rds of it. From reading alot of the mixed reviews (and even the mixed positive reviews), I was watching PROMETHEUS and wondering why the heavy backlash? It was something we unfortunately don't get from Hollywood, a "hard" science fiction movie and a decently engaging one at that.

The cast was good, I was intrigued by both the extra-terrestrial mystery afoot and Michael Fassbender's character. I dug those flying scout spheres maping out caverns and that automatic surgery pod. The enigmatic opening set the mood. Hell I even liked that we have a nice rarity at the movies: a religious scientist without her once having to choose between the two, a childish tendency that Hollywood and right-wing culture usually demand. (Newton & Darwin would like her.)



But honestly I don't think she's overall that interesting enough of a character (or Rapace was the wrong actress) to focus your movie around. If anything I wondered why Fassbender's android wasn't the protagonist. I mean it's obvious from the start he's complex and fascinating, both a willing curious servant to his "creators" (who are off to find their own ironically) and pissed that he's seen by the crew at best a pet, at worst a walking talking toaster oven. When Rapace was onscreen, I kept wanting to go back to Fassbender.

But otherwise, this was good chugging along. So I'm thinking maybe the Internet is pissed because they hyped it up to Mars, and got pissed that it only reached the Moon, i.e. it's not as good as ALIEN. I mean surely that's the problem because they're infamous for such expectations gaming bullshit. (That's a recent phenomenon I really hate: movies/TV shows having pre-established online fanbases before the damn thing is even released. I mean I get STAR WARS having a rabid fanbase because at least those geeks have seen it.)

Then the 3rd act happens, and I now perfectly understand now why alot of folks got pissed. Sloppy and arbitrary, neither which would describe the movie up to that point. A late plot twist that given any slight reflection just comes off as dumb, and really I don't want to spoil things but more or less becomes a mindless uninspired dull man-in-suit monster movie that I couldn't care less about. (The same sensation I felt when rewatching ALIEN RESURRECTION the other week.)

Ever felt like you defended your kid on charges from everybody else of being a bully, only for the little bastard to reward you with a swift kick to the balls? The movie makes me feel like an asshole for enjoying it in the first place.

I know it's unfair to compare this with a classic like ALIEN but I must for making this point. ALIEN in plot was those trashy low budget drive-in creature features (it even originally was scripted as one) but Ridley Scott brought sophistication, style, and big budget FX into what was traditionally an unrespectable B movie field and turned it into respectable (and entertaining) high art. Spielberg and Lucas were doing similar things around the same time.

PROMETHEUS (3rd act at least) really comes off like those endless ALIEN knock-offs we've gotten over the decades where they too have the big budgets and good casts and great FX, but still as dumb and "cheap" (in storytelling) as those B creature features. I mean ALIEN told a very simple story in an intelligent and captivating fashion where you're shown (not told) little details that soon add up for viewers on their own. Even when ALIEN's own unforeshadowed surprise twist happens, one that's technically arbitrary, it never felt arbitrary.

PROMETHEUS followed this route initially, then it went slacker in class and cheated and you want to take a ruler and whack their knuckles repeatedly like straight out of BLUES BROTHERS. Not out of malice, but out of love.

This is the angriest *** rating I've given in a dog's age.