Come on, Ridley Scott! Bring Quality Back to Sci-Fi with Prometheus

PrometheusScience fiction movies bloated with non-stop action, heavy artillery, and explosions at every turn are a dime a dozen these days. But they’re usually lacking in storyline and character, so I’m hoping Ridley Scott can reverse that trend with Prometheus. And if anyone can do it, the guy who helped define the genre with [amazon_link id=”B000UBMWG4″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Blade Runner[/amazon_link] and Alien can.

He certainly has a boatload of help, including writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, and the folks who built the Weyland Industries Web site. Check it out, and you’ll see what I mean. I want to work for them. Or maybe not. I’ll let you know after I see the movie.

The story is a prequel of sorts to Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror film Alien. While it’s not directly connected to the films in the Alien franchise, Scott says Prometheus shares “strands of Alien‘s DNA” and takes place in the same universe.

It’s the late 21st century, and a star map is discovered within the imagery of Aztec, Mesopotamian and Magdalenian cultures. The crew of the spaceship Prometheus is sent on a scientific expedition to follow the map as part of a mission to find the origins of mankind. Exploring the advanced civilization of an extraterrestrial race (aliens!), they soon face a threat to humanity’s very existence.

Prometheus

Prometheus opens in theaters June 8, 2012 (2D and 3D), and stars Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Guy Pearce (great cast, right?). It’s not yet rated, but I’m thinking it’ll squeak in at PG-13. I’m sure they want to get all those teen dollars at the box office.

The marketing of Prometheus is nothing short of amazing, including the Feb. 28 release of a video featuring a speech by Guy Pearce, in character as Peter Weyland, about his vision for the future. Set in 2023, the video takes place at a futuristic TED conference, the real-life annual technology and design event held in Long Beach, California that revolves around the dissemination of new ideas. The video was conceived and designed by Scott and Lindelof, and directed by Scott’s son, Luke.

On March 17, 2012, in partnership with AMC Theaters, Scott hosted the premiere of the first full Prometheus trailer, shown at the AMC Downtown Disney during WonderCon in Anaheim, California.

But that’s just the tip of this extraterrestrial iceberg. There is a TON of money tied up in Prometheus. Let’s hope it makes it back at the box office. Check out the trailer.

Comments

  1. Jake Holmes Avatar
    Jake Holmes

    I am a fan of sci-fi movies, but only the ones with a great story.

  2. Members Alliance Avatar

    I have seen the movie,totally full of alien stuff. It’s really a sci-fi movie. However for me not quite a must watch.

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