Ridley Scott directed some of the best sci-fi movies in history early in his career. After his debut war movie, The Duellists, Scott moved on to sci-fi and fantasy and created three iconic movies over six years that all stand the test of time. In 1979, Scott brought the world the first Alien movie, and then he followed up three years later with what might be the best sci-fi dystopian movie ever made, Blade Runner. Three years after that, Scott directed the fantasy film Legend, and then he moved on to more real-life dramas and action movies for the next two-plus decades.
However, in 2012, he returned to sci-fi and directed a prequel to Alien called Prometheus. The film was polarizing for many franchise fans, but it remains one of the most underrated releases in the series. It has been streaming on HBO Max, but fans only have one day left to watch it before it leaves the streamer on May 31st.
Why Alien Fans Need to Watch Ridley Scott’s Prometheus
Image courtesy of Fox
There were a lot of people who hated Prometheus, and a lot of that came from the surprise that this was an Alien prequel, when it was initially promoted as an original Ridley Scott sci-fi film. There are also many critical complaints that call out the flawed character decisions and the strange storyline decisions. However, upon reevaluating the film, many of these complaints mean little next to the actual positive points of Scott’s return to the franchise he helped create.
Unlike the original Alien movie, which was survival horror, or the sequels, which focused on fighting monsters and the idea of what it means to be alive, Prometheus took a much deeper look at the prevalent themes of the franchise. This release tackles some of the more philosophical questions about creation and the search for meaning. The main goal of Scott’s prequels was to have their characters seek out humanity’s makers and then destroy them. It was a deep story that too many people seemed to overlook when the movie was originally released.
The movie also looked incredible, with stunning visuals and groundbreaking production design. Michael Fassbender’s David brought a level of menace to the androids that have been in every Alien movie, deepening their existence in the stories. Seeing David as a creation who knows who his creator is, the scenes where humans sought out their creators were even more intriguing, seeing them from the point of view of the android, who knows that no creator is greater than their creations. This added to the lore of the franchise. Instead of relying on nostalgia, which is what the most recent movie, Alien: Romulus, did so well, Prometheus added to the mythos with the Engineers.
Prometheus isn’t the best of the Alien movies, as nothing has touched the first two films in the series. However, it is better than almost anything else the franchise has put out in theaters over the years, and there is still a little bit of time left to watch it before it leaves HBO Max.
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