Upon release,Prometheusbecame one of the most critically and financially successfulinstallments in the entireAlienseries– yet, 12 years on, it’s increasingly obvious that some aspects of the movie work better than others. With a 73% critics score on the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesand a $403 million global box office, the film clearly found a sizable audience. However, with the benefit of hindsight, revisitingPrometheusreveals some serious flaws that no amount of contemporary critical praise or popular acclaim can overcome.
Prometheus' relationship with theAliensagais somewhat complicated. Before release, director Ridley Scott famously said that the film would share strands of “Alien’s DNA,” establishing a clear connection between the projects. While key story details confirmed that the two films were closely linked,the narrative was not a direct prelude to the originalAlien, following different characters and different tangents. This approach had the potential to be both bold and effective. However, while the movie’s sense of spectacle remains impressive in 2024, other features feel surprisingly frustrating.
10The Movie’s Engineer Story Is A Mess
The Main Protagonists Are Frustratingly Ill-Conceived
Prometheus' problems are evident from the outset thanks to the film’s Engineer opening. The aliens, which belong to the same race asAlien’s enigmatic “space jockey"are central to every element of the story, having seeded human life on Earth and laid a trail of breadcrumbs for the Prometheus' crew to follow several thousand years later. Their presence allows the movie to explore weighty subjects like humanity’s origin and the purpose behind our creation. Unfortunately, the Engineers' actions and motivations fall apart under the slightest scrutiny.
It’s never clear why they would want to direct humans to their weapons reserve on LV-223, nor why the revived Engineer is so determined to destroy humanity once it has awoken.
From why they created human beings, to how their role relates to our understanding of evolution (a plot hole pointed out by one ofPrometheus' characters), several aspects of the Engineers' story don’t stack up. It’s never clear why they would want to direct humans to their weapons reserve on LV-223, nor why the revived Engineer is so determined to destroy humanity once it has awoken. While their presence in the narrative (and in humanity’s own past) raises intriguing questions,Prometheusdoesn’t provide a satisfying answer to any of them, making the exploration of the space jockey feel like a wasted opportunity.
9The Black Goo Makes No Sense
Its Properties And Powers Are Poorly Explained
The problems withPrometheus' mysterious black gooare even more acute than the issues with the Engineers. From the outset, the strange substance is central to everything that happens in the film – insinuated to be the central ingredient in humanity’s creation in the movie’s puzzling opening. However, exactly what the black goo is, how it works, or what its powers are, is one of manyPrometheusplot points that never receives a satisfying explanation.
At various points in the movie, the goo is suggested to be instantly fatal to Engineers, capable of transforming into an internal parasite (in the case of Holloway), transmittable via sex (as happens with Shaw), and dangerous enough to turn Fifield into a zombie. It also seems to be a home for the alien insects and snake-like Hammerpede that inhabit the Engineer facility.All of this proves the black goo’s potency, but doesn’t provide a rational explanation for what it is and how it works. This is especially frustrating, given its central role in later franchise installments likeAlien: CovenantandAlien: Romulus.
8The Alien Symbology Is Incredibly Confusing
It Undercuts Prometheus' Sequel Story
WhilePrometheusdoesn’t feature a fully-fledged xenomorph(even the Deacon creature seen at the end is notably different), clues about the iconic creature’s presence are scattered throughout the story. From a mural that the expeditionary team identifies (seemingly complete with anH.R. Giger-like alien design) to Fifield and Millburn’s ominous discovery that several Engineers appear to have exploded from the inside, the connection isn’t exactly subtle.
The problem is that not only does the xenomorph never appear in the movie itself, butPrometheus' own sequel contradicts it having any role at all. According toAlien: Covenant,xenomorphs as we know them are only created as a result of David’s extensive experimentation. This, however, clearly creates several problems for the creatures' apparent behind-the-scenes role inPrometheus. It’s perhaps the biggest example of how later events in theAlienseries have made key elements ofPrometheus' story seem redundant, or even directly contradictory.
7Prometheus' Characters Are Shallow (& Frustratingly Stupid)
Some Of Their Decisions Are Truly Baffling
Like many sprawling sci-fi stories,Prometheussuffers from offering limited screen time to its expansive cast. The result is that many characters feel thinly sketched and lacking in motivation or development. Sean Harris' Fifield, for example, is established early as being in it for the money, yet this seems to have no further bearing on his character. Likewise, Charlize Theron’s Vickers is shown as cold and authoritative, with little rationale for her dismissive behavior towards the rest of the team. The result is that major reveals, likethe twist that Vickers is Weyland’s daughter, fall flat.
These issues are minor, however, compared to the baffling stupidity of manyPrometheuscharacters. Whether it’s Holloway’s decision to remove his helmet (despite the dangers of an alien planet), Millburn’s determination to pet a clearly hostile alien, or Shaw’s belief that she should ignore a warning about an impending silica storm for a few more minutes of study,characters make a succession of bizarre decisions, seemingly for no other decision than to move the plot forward. This both undermines their authenticity and makes the whole story feel incredibly contrived.
6Prometheus Wastes Great Actors In Minor Roles
The Cast Is Incredibly Strong
Prometheus' large cast doesn’t just limit character development. It also means that several actors – many of whom would be capable of taking the limelight in other projects – feel grossly underutilized. While some performances (notably,Michael Fassbender as the android David) shine, for most of the actors involved, the story provides them with precious little opportunity to bring their characters to life.
The likes of Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce all feature surprisingly little in the story. Idris Elba’s Janek features in one or two scenes before a heroic act of self-sacrifice, Theron is only able to show the cold and uncaring side of her character, and Pearce is absent for most of the runtime, save for a brief interjection at the end.Other actors, such as Benedict Wong, are even more harshly done by, appearing in a couple of brief exchanges before sharing Janek’s fate. The result is a movie full of performance potential, but lacking in end product.
5Michael Fassbender Is Great, But David Is Confusing
The Character Is Full Of Contradictions
One ofPrometheus' greatest strengths is Michael Fassbender’s detached, childlike, and slightly sociopathic performanceas David. WhilePrometheuslacks a traditional central villain, David is as close as the movie comes to an antagonist – a role he would fully embrace inAlien: Covenant. However, as watchable as Fassbender is, his character is a frustrating mass of contradictions.
Though the movie’s opening establishes David as a figure who is trying to learn about his place in the world, many of his defining character traits are never fully explained.
Though the movie’s opening establishes David as a figure who is trying to learn about his place in the world, many of his defining character traits are never fully explained. His obsession withLawrence of Arabia, for instance, has little discernable impact on the story. It’s also unclear why he takes the dramatic step of poisoning Holloway, why he suddenly decides to ally himself with Shaw in the movie’s end, or to what extent his actions are motivated either by his own curiosity or loyalty to Weyland.The answers to these questions fundamentally alterPrometheus' message and meaning, yet are never satisfyingly answered.
4The Script Often Lets Prometheus Down
There Are Problems On A Macro And Micro Level
From both a broad narrative and specific character perspective, 12 years' distance proves that there are majorproblems withPrometheus' script. The seemingly irrational behavior of multiple characters, the central setup of Weyland’s trillion-dollar expedition that never told its participants where they were going, and the emergence of an existential threat to humanity all arrive without any real internal logic. On reflection, it seems like these events just happen because the script requires them to, not because it makes sense for the story.
Fifield’s declaration that he “loves rocks”, Vickers and Janek’s stilted flirting, and Holloway’s drunken strop about being unable to converse with a dead alien all undercut the movie’s more portentous tone and themes.
These high-level problems aside,Prometheusalso suffers from some truly grating dialog. Fifield’s declaration that he “loves rocks”, Vickers and Janek’s stilted flirting, and Holloway’s drunken strop about being unable to converse with a dead alien all undercut the movie’s more portentous tone and themes. The result leavesPrometheusfeeling disjointed at best and downright awkward at worst.
3Prometheus' Strengths Can’t Make Up For Its Collective Problems
The Movie’s Logic Doesn’t Stand Up To Scrutiny
WatchingPrometheusfor the first time in 2012,the movie’s impressive scale, often sumptuous visuals, and sense of style made up for its other shortcomings. However, 12 years on and within the broader context of the widerAlienfranchise, the movie’s multiple plot holes seem even more detrimental. In isolation, details like Millburn and Fifield’s bizarre decision to wander off from the main group add to the air of confusion. However, it’s only with hindsightPrometheustruly buckles under the collective weight of its narrative missteps.
It’s Official: We’re Never Getting An Answer To Prometheus' Biggest Unresolved Mystery
Prometheus set out to answer some major questions posed by the original Alien movie, but it’s increasingly clear that they’ll remain mysterious.
In 2024, it’s possible to fully appreciate how the unexplained black goo, what the Engineers really want, and the irrational behavior of the characters all underminePrometheusin a way that wasn’t always possible thanks to the initial impact of the movie’s screen presence. Much as a movie likeAvatardeflected concerns over its story because of its startling visual effects, it seemsPrometheusonly escaped a sterner critique because it looks so good. Now this impact has lessened, the movie’s weaknesses seem much more prominent.
2Prometheus Didn’t Need To Be Connected To Alien
It Could Have Worked As A Different Project
There’s no doubt thatpart of what madePrometheussuch a success (and so exciting for fans) was the dual promise of anAlienprequel and Ridley Scott’s returnto the franchise. However, while this connection was a persuasive argument for the project’s viability, it was also unnecessary – purely based on the narrative.
A story about a group of intrepid explorers determined to uncover humanity’s origins in deep space could have been a fascinating standalone sci-fi feature, or even the start of a whole new franchise. Nothing about this set-up neededAliento deliver a compelling story. Instead, theAlienEaster eggsput the movie in an impossible position – forcing it to try and tell a different kind of story to the self-contained original, while also staying true to the source material. In the end, it proved an impossible balancing act.
1Prometheus' Story Hurt The Alien Franchise
It Was The Worst Mistake A Prequel Can Make
In 2012, it wasn’t necessarily clear to what extentPrometheuswould impact theAlienstory. While it had sown the seeds for key plot points like the black goo and provided a somewhat disappointing explanation for the space jockey, the relationship between the characters and story still seemed somewhat tenuous. This all changed with later installments.
Picking up directly wherePrometheusleft off,Alien: Covenantretconned the entire saga, rewriting the xenomorph as an android bioweapon, rather than the “perfect organism” featured in the first movie. This development, which completely undermines the terrifying implications ofAlien, would not have been possible withoutPrometheus' revelations. The fact that upcoming TV seriesAlien: Earthis set to rewrite this aspect of the franchise once again is proof thatPrometheus' story innovations failed to have a positive impact – a damning indictment of the movie’s legacy and relevance in 2024.
