Scott aims for the stars again

ANY film that opens with a giant stone pineapple as the foundation of a space adventure is bound to stir an interest in even the most sceptical of sci-fi critics.

Making a link then from the abstract fruit structure to a slime-drenched, blood-splattered fight-to-the-death space odyssey is a job that can be only pioneered by the highly qualified director Ridley Scott who has an meteor field of alien accolades to his name.

Prometheus – which was self-proclaimed as the third out-of-this-world creation by Scott– is set in 2089, showing two archaeologists, Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) unearthing a series of ancient cave paintings that map out a far-off constellation.

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The Weyland Corporation organises a mission to explore the meaning behind the constellation’s significance. Armed with a hunch that this could lead to origins of humanity, the team sets off to a far-away planet which harbours a parade of grotesque monsters.

The film could arguably be a prequel to Alien – Scott’s well known classic horror masterpiece – and uses subtle similarities in its themes to draw the links between the two, although no explicit references are made.

From its thought-provoking philosophical beginnings, the film rapidly descends into abject scenes of violence, death and a Caesarean for the die-hard fans at the back.

Sci-fi fans will be thrilled with the extensive budget splashed out on the visual effects of the planet and hi-tech spaceship.

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Notable performances – although light years away from Sigourney Weaver’s in Alien – come from Noomi Rapace’s and Michael Fassbender.

Overall the film has the punch of a blockbuster but may not have the lasting impression of a classic.