Another review that makes sense

[url=http://www.newburyportnews.com/lifestyle/x138773894/Prometheus-alienates-audiences-with-absurdity]absurdity[/url] 'Prometheus' alienates audiences with absurdity By Greg Vellante Correspondent The Daily News of Newburyport Thu Jun 14, 2012, 03:56 AM EDT There is an entire spectrum of arguments to be had about films in which characters wander around in dark places, point flashlights in the direction of ambiguous sounds, and shockingly exclaim some variation of the question, "What was that?" This type of scene traditionally has been grounded in science fiction or horror. Now, it has become overused to the point of cliche — a genre in and of itself, if you will. I don't get it. Why don't these people just run away from the scary, unidentified noises coming from the dark cave? If you were lost on a foreign planet and a slimy creature emerged from a puddle of black goo, would you call it pet names and attempt to get closer to it? C'mon. Like most people, I would bolt in the opposite direction and never look back. Then again, I have more common sense than any character in Ridley Scott's "Prometheus." A visually stunning but thematically silly film, "Prometheus" is a slight shift of promise for a director who has been gasping for air in a directorial drought. (Have you seen his "Robin Hood?") And yet, he never comes close to reaching the visionary levels of work in films like "Blade Runner" (1982), or the original "Alien" (1979); films hot with inspired sizzle. "Alien," a premier example of the ignorant-people-with-flashlights genre and arguably its inception, is a milestone in both science fiction and filmic history. Thirty-three years later, however, Scott's once-fresh elements feel stale. And "Prometheus," widely promoted as a prequel to "Alien," is all rehashes and setup. Like a roller coaster ridden countless times where all the bumps, dips and loops are anticipated, "Prometheus" is fun and frantic despite its familiarity. I willingly surrendered to every twist and turn. I reluctantly accepted every goofy plot turn. And I did so because once this movie picks up the pace, it mirrors the momentum of a moving train for most of the second act. "Prometheus" features a great performance by Michael Fassbender as android David and a magnificently disgusting scene involving Noomi Rapace. And yet, despite its best efforts to remain stable, the film runs off the rails again in the final minutes amidst a desperate attempt to piece together loose ends in last-second references to "Alien" that don't need to be there. The sad truth about "Prometheus" is that its first half is mere setup for its latter half. Worse yet, the final section is just more setup for a blatantly hinted-at sequel. Considering the screenplay is co-penned by Jon Spaihts, a fledgling writer of one prior film ("The Darkest Hour"), and "Lost" scribe Damon Lindelof, it is no surprise that the third act feels more like a season finale than a cinematic climax. If "Prometheus" stood alone as a self-contained film, which prequels should, it could easily mask the majority of its blunders. Instead, this movie constantly tries to please a pre-existing audience. No surprises, no risks; just a safe, easily accessible placeholder in Ridley Scott's resume: That's "Prometheus." Film has come a long way since 1979. "Prometheus," however, is stuck. In another three decades, it will be remembered most as a missed opportunity.