"Prometheus": Meeting Our (Extraterrestrial) Makers

Mankind is just a speck of nothingness in the great spectrum of time and space. Our history gets lost as a minimal period of time in comparison to the age of the universe or even to that of our Solar system. Even with all our technology advances we are still a creature without a clear origin. Certainly our past has been tracked with scientific and archaeological findings, but the human body and mind seem too complex an invention to have been randomly created by chance. Just a personal opinion. Whether one adheres to a Darwinist perception or a religious one, the answers in either direction are still hypothesis, some more well founded than others, but still the purpose of our existence is still up for debate. Why are we here? Is there something truly special about us? Who/What made us? Are all of thess existential and philosophical questions what make us "human"? It is said that men created God as a catch-all answer for all that is unexplainable and out of our reach and understanding. Such God lives in some sort of alternative universe, call it paradise, heaven, the other side. So when the answers cant be found here on Earth? Where does one search?. Outer Space perhaps. For director Ridley Scott the last frontier has always been a well known land.

With "Prometheus" he presents sort of a prequel to his breakthrough film 'Alien", this time layering even more the concept of origin, creation, and the responsibility of the creator to punish its invention when its out of control. The conflict between God and Science is very present here, faith becomes an even more abstract concept when everything the characters once believed is challenged by a new version on the origin of life. As the characters often discuss, if there is some beings or being that created us, who created them? and even more important, why? is it replication and the need to create life innate? and if those before us where even wiser and stronger, does every replication means a lower version of itself? There is more than cool spaceships and alien abortions here, a real debate is generated to make us wonder about our own humanity even in such fictional, for now, setting.

The Prometheus is a spaceship founded by the Weyland Corporation, on the surface it has the only purpose to follow the ancestral findings discovered on Earth by scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway(Logan Marshall-Green). Such discoveries point that the ancient terrestrial civilizations had certain symbols in common, even if millennia apart. Now in 2093 they have finally arrived to their destination in a far corner of space that matches the galactic"map" left for them to follow by these beings, who Dr. Shaw refers to as "Engineers". For the years that space travel took, an android humanoid creature named David (Michael Fassbender) took care of the crew and now is a crucial piece for their quest to succeed or fail. Along side David, we meet the woman in charge, who is here to watch over the Corporation's interests, Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), who is  more concerned with a secret agenda than with finding alien life. As the expedition begins, the questions become even more complex, they find temple like caves, and corpses of gigantic proportions, added to this a separate plot is being carried out which will unravel death and further complications for the space travelers. With the mission to answer perhaps the only meaningful question posed by humanity, why are we here?, these characters will serve as a test sample for human vices, weaknesses, and survival skills all of which are the essence of our condition, flawed and perfect at the same time.

The script is packed with hints and ideas that speak of this sense of lost parenthood, of abandonment by those who provided us with life. The creation of life and its sustainability are what is at stage at all times. For example,Dr. Shaw and her cross which symbolize her belief in God, but also her father, both parental images to her. Or the he fact that David is a human creation is even more intellectually challenging, was he created just because he could be created? is indeed the gift of life what separates us from divinity? But when David's existence as a non-human entity collapses with all the irrationality of the human condition, the question is, is David a better version of ourselves because he lacks human complexities and anxieties? Or maybe its an answer to another clear reference to life-giving, as we learn also that Dr. Shaw is sterile, until the hand of alien technology puts in work for her. All this concepts, and more, that might be considered spoilers, and which I've left out, really overly layer the plot and become a constant push for the audience to think. I believe that although some work well, at some point it turns into too much imagery. The highlight of the film is undoubtedly Michael Fassbender as David, this well-mannered individual who cant grasp the concepts of want, love, or fear, and for whom everything is a certain answer, nothing is good or evil, it just exists. Fassbender's ability delivers a performance that reflects a contempt for his condition, and also showing a naive character, with such incredible lack of emotion. He really showcases his talents in here, being the most memorable character, and although artificial in his origin, still very engaging.

Ridley Scott created an iconic film that was a milestone in the history of Science Fiction films, with "Prometheus" he tries to create an even more sophisticate take on our relationship with other worlds, not completely succeeding at being subtle, but yes at creating an entertaining film that does pick our brains. It inquires about what we consider to be the meaning of being mortal and human, and how important is for us to know where we came from. As if the answer will give us a clearer purpose and the answers to achieve it. Visually proficient in creating a suspenseful vibe and with some standouts in the acting department, the film is good but a bit short of great. If you want to meet your (extraterrestrial) maker and discover why they left us here, watch this new SciFi odyssey. Out in Blu-ray/DVD now. Grade B.