Prometheus (2012)
★★½ — Prometheus (2012)
Ridley Scott returned to science fiction for the first time since Blade Runner (1982) with this large-scale prequel to his own Alien (1979), carrying a reported budget of $130 million and the weight of considerable fan expectation. The film had a long and complicated path to production, with Jon Spaihts writing an early draft that was substantially reworked by Damon Lindelof into something more concerned with creation mythology than straightforward horror. Shooting took place across Iceland, the Isle of Skye, and Pinewood Studios, with the Icelandic landscapes standing in for the alien world. Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, best known internationally for the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, took the lead, while Michael Fassbender's android David became the most talked-about performance from the finished film.
I wanted to love this more than I did. There’s no denying Prometheus is a gorgeous film. Ridley Scott still knows how to direct atmosphere like no one else. The cinematography is stunning, the world-building is vast, and I really appreciated the way it expanded the lore of the universe. The whole “Engineers” concept and the creation myth stuff is genuinely intriguing... but let's be honest: it’s basically an entire spin-off based on a fossil we saw once in Alien. The problem is, while it tries to be profound and philosophical, it never really lands. It asks a lot of big questions but gives frustratingly few answers. The characters make baffling decisions, the script stumbles over its own mystery box setup, and in the end, it just feels like a slightly bloated prequel that forgets to be engaging. Some interesting ideas, but it’s lacking that tightness and dread that made Alien iconic. A beautiful disappointment.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2012 | Watched: 2025-04-10
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Disney Plus · Netflix Standard with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from Ridley Scott: Black Hawk Down (2001) · Gladiator (2000) · Alien (1979) · Alien: Covenant (2017)
More from United Kingdom: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) · Blue (1993)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
More mystery: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · Carnival of Souls (1962) · One Way or Another (1975)
