Ridley Scott’s movie in the Alien series was released (non-canonical Predator crossovers notwithstanding), and this one marked Scott’s return to the franchise for the first time since the original 1979 classic. It’s a prequel set before all the previous films, filling in the origin story of the xenomorphs.
Pearce had a key role in Prometheus as Peter Weyland, the billionaire founder and CEO of Weyland Corp. Recently, Pearce defended Prometheus after years of complaints and criticisms from various corners of the fan base — and he may have hit the nail on the head as to why it was so divisive. Pearce said that, while he thinks Prometheus is a “brilliant” film on the whole, he understands why it wasn’t for everyone. “If you don’t get what’s happening in the first five minutes,” Pearce said, “then you’re lost for the rest of the movie.”
Guy Pearce Is Right: Prometheus' Shock Intro Is Key To Understanding The Entire Movie
The Engineers Are Prometheus' Biggest Mystery
In the opening scene of Prometheus, an oval spaceship drops one of the Engineers at the top of a cliff. The Engineer proceeds to drink a strange black goo, which breaks down their DNA. The Engineer hurls themselves into the freshly formed waters of Earth, which creates humanity and the rest of life on Earth. It’s a visually stunning sequence, but it doesn’t always make sense to first-time viewers. It’s not 100% clear that the Engineer is creating life on Earth and the movie is all about the origins of the human race.
Prometheus grossed $403.4 million against a budget of $120–130 million, making it the highest-grossing Alien movie.
Pearce said that he understood what was happening, because he’d had “the benefit of listening to Ridley” explain the meaning of the opening scene during pre-production. Not everyone in the audience got to sit down with the director and get his interpretation of the confounding opening sequence, so not everyone in the audience understood what it was about. The crux of the plot is that the Engineers are heading back to Earth to annihilate the human race, because they’re disappointed with what humanity has become. If that message doesn’t land, the movie doesn’t work.
Prometheus' Reputation Has Improved Because It's Easier To Get With Multiple Viewings
Prometheus Is Being Reappraised
In the past few years, Prometheus has been re-evaluated as an underrated movie. It’s been gaining new fans as audiences have gone back and revisited it. It certainly has its flaws — the characters make a lot of stupid decisions — but those flaws are outweighed by Scott’s breathtaking visuals and the powerful message that humanity doesn’t deserve the gifts it’s been given. It’s no wonder that Prometheus is being reappraised, because it takes a few viewings to finally make sense.
Prometheus
- Release Date
- June 8, 2012
- Runtime
- 124 Minutes
- Director
- Ridley Scott
WHERE TO WATCH
2012's Prometheus is the fifth installment in the Alien franchise and was directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce, the film acts as a direct prequel to 1979's Alien.
- Writers
- Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof
- Franchise(s)
- Alien
Your comment has not been saved