Prometheus

Don't want to see Madagascar 3 this weekend? Still wanna see a big 3D spectacle? Along with the cartoon threequel, another 3D event, Prometheus, has now come in theaters. This one, be warned, is made for a much different audience.

Directed by Ridley Scott, this can be best described as a mix of 2001: A Space Odyssey and his own film, Alien. In fact, this film is actually a subtle prequel to the latter film. Those savvy enough will get the connections, and those who don't will still make sense of the big picture.

In the far off future, scientist Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) discovers some cave paintings depicting the same cluster of stars. They end up forming a map to a far, far-away moon, so an expedition is set out aboard the titular vessel, Prometheus. Amongst the crew is Shaw, her boyfriend Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) and the android David (Michael Fassbender).

The mission's goal is to find humanity's likely extraterrestrial creators, whom the crew has called “the Engineers.” Upon arriving on the moon, LV-223, the crew finds an ancient structure. Inside the structure, the dream expedition turns into a nightmare.

Shot entirely in 3D by cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, Prometheus is a visually amazing thriller. It soothes its audience with spectacular planetary scenery, but prepares its audience with Arthur Max's claustrophobic sets. When the monsters arrive, they bring about some intense scenes of Sci-Fi horror. One thing's for sure: this is not for the squeamish.

At least it's not gratuitous. As with Alien, the set-up to its carnage is slow and steady. So once it gets horrific, it is legitimately horrific. Still doesn't make it easy for the squeamish.

Anyways, Prometheus's visual wonders make it a worthy trip to the movies. Let's just hope that when its equivalent of 2010 comes along, that the answers to its existential mysteries aren't underwhelming.