PROMETHEUS (2012)

Summary:

Prometheus is a science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, serving as a thematic prequel to his 1979 masterpiece, Alien. The story follows a team of scientists aboard the starship Prometheus, funded by the Weyland Corporation, on a deep-space expedition to a distant moon, LV-223. Their mission is to investigate ancient star maps found across various disparate cultures on Earth, which they interpret as an invitation from an advanced alien race, the "Engineers," believed to be humanity's creators.

Upon arrival, the crew discovers a massive alien structure filled with cryptic artifacts and a deadly biological weapon, leading to terrifying encounters and profound questions about humanity's origins, purpose, and the true intentions of their creators. As the mission unravels into a desperate fight for survival, the crew uncovers a horrifying truth that threatens not only their lives but the very existence of mankind.

Keywords: Prometheus, 2012, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Science Fiction, Horror, Alien Prequel.

Plot:

The film opens on a primordial Earth-like planet, where an Engineer consumes a black, viscous liquid, causing his body to rapidly disintegrate into a river. His DNA unravels and falls into the water, seemingly seeding life on the planet. Millennia later, in 2089, archaeologists Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and Dr. Charlie Holloway discover a star map in a cave in Scotland, identical to those found in various ancient cultures worldwide. They interpret these maps as an invitation from the "Engineers," an advanced alien species they believe created humanity.

In 2093, the scientific vessel Prometheus arrives at LV-223, a remote moon in the Zeta Reticuli system. Aboard are the crew, led by Captain Janek, and the mission's sponsor, Meredith Vickers, a ruthless Weyland Corporation executive. The crew is awakened from stasis by the android David, who has been monitoring their dreams and learning ancient languages. He is particularly intrigued by the human crew's reactions and emotions. Upon arrival, Shaw and Holloway present their findings, explaining their belief that the Engineers are humanity's creators and the star maps point to their homeworld. The crew is then informed of their true benefactor: the dying Peter Weyland, founder of the Weyland Corporation, who is secretly aboard the ship in stasis, hoping to meet his creators and find a way to extend his life.

The team lands near the largest of several artificial structures on LV-223, a massive, horseshoe-shaped edifice. Inside, they discover a vast network of tunnels and chambers, including a colossal head statue of an Engineer. They find sealed urns containing the black liquid, which David secretly collects. They also discover the remains of large, humanoid Engineers, one of which has been decapitated, and another found dead within a sealed chamber, suggesting a catastrophic event occurred centuries ago. A holographic recording shows Engineers fleeing something, leading the team to conclude the structure was a military installation, not a temple. A sudden, violent storm forces the crew to return to the Prometheus, leaving two geologists, Millburn and Fifield, stranded in the structure.

During the storm, Millburn and Fifield encounter indigenous alien life: serpentine creatures resembling cobra-like worms, mutated by the black goo. Millburn attempts to interact with one, only to be attacked and have its acidic blood burn through his suit. Fifield, horrified, falls into a puddle of the black liquid, which begins to affect him. Meanwhile, on the Prometheus, David analyzes the black goo and secretly contaminates Holloway's drink with a drop of it, curious about its effects. Holloway and Shaw, unaware of the contamination, later have intercourse.

The next morning, Holloway rapidly falls ill, exhibiting signs of a parasitic infection and physical deterioration. The crew returns to the structure and finds Millburn dead and Fifield missing. David discovers a chamber containing several intact urns and an active cryo-chamber holding a living Engineer. Holloway's condition worsens dramatically; his skin discolors, his eyes darken, and he becomes aggressive. Vickers, fearing contamination, refuses to let him back on the ship. When Holloway attempts to force his way in, Janek incinerates him with a flamethrower, a decision Shaw vehemently protests.

Shaw is then scanned and discovers she is pregnant with an alien creature, a rapidly growing squid-like organism, a direct result of her intercourse with the infected Holloway. Realizing the danger, she uses the Prometheus's automated surgical table to perform a crude but effective self-caesarean, extracting the creature from her abdomen. She seals the creature in the medical bay. Shortly after, the mutated Fifield attacks the Prometheus. His body has grotesquely transformed; his head is elongated, his skin pale, and he possesses superhuman strength. He brutally kills several crew members before being subdued and killed by the remaining crew.

With most of the crew dead, Weyland reveals himself, having been secretly awakened from stasis. He explains his true motive: to confront the Engineer in stasis and demand answers about humanity's creation and, more importantly, a cure for his impending death. Shaw, despite her trauma, is forced to accompany Weyland, David, and a security team back to the Engineer's chamber. When they awaken the Engineer, David attempts to communicate with it, explaining Weyland's desire for immortality. The Engineer, however, reacts with extreme violence, tearing David's head from his body, crushing Weyland's skull, and killing the rest of the security team. Shaw escapes just as the Engineer reactivates its spacecraft, revealed to be a massive biomechanical ship, intending to travel to Earth.

Shaw warns Janek that the Engineer is heading for Earth with its deadly cargo. Janek, recognizing the existential threat, decides to sacrifice the Prometheus to stop the Engineer's ship. He orders Vickers to escape in an escape pod, while he, along with his co-pilot, crashes the Prometheus into the Engineer's craft. Vickers' escape pod, however, is crushed by the falling Engineer ship. The collision cripples the Engineer's ship, sending it crashing to the surface.

Shaw, the sole human survivor, makes her way to Vickers' escape pod, which miraculously survived the crash. Inside, she finds the Engineer, who also survived, attempting to retrieve its ship's cargo. The Engineer corners Shaw, but she lures it into the medical bay where the alien creature she removed earlier has grown to monstrous proportions. The creature, now a giant "Trilobite," attacks the Engineer, overpowering it and implanting an embryo into its throat. Shaw retrieves David's still-active head and body, and with his help, finds another Engineer spacecraft. She modifies it for space travel, intending to journey to the Engineers' homeworld to understand why they created humanity only to later seek its destruction.

The film concludes with Shaw and David's head embarking on their journey into deep space. In the final scene, the Engineer's chest bursts open inside the crashed ship, giving birth to a new creature: a pale, bipedal xenomorph with a pointed head, foreshadowing the iconic creature from the Alien franchise. This creature, later dubbed a "Deacon," screams into the desolate landscape of LV-223.

Cast (Lead Roles):

• Noomi Rapace as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw
• Michael Fassbender as David
• Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers
• Idris Elba as Captain Janek
• Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland
• Logan Marshall-Green as Dr. Charlie Holloway
• Sean Harris as Fifield
• Rafe Spall as Millburn

Crew:

• Director: Ridley Scott
• Writers: Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof
• Producers: Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David Giler, Walter Hill
• Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
• Music: Marc Streitenfeld
• Editor: Pietro Scalia

Release Info:

• Original Release Date: June 8, 2012 (North America)
• Language: English
• Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Action
• Running Time: 124 minutes
• Accolades: Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.