Prometheus | Rotten Tomatoes

Prometheus

R

Released Jun 8, 2012

2h 3m

Sci-Fi

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

73%

315 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The discovery of a clue to mankind's origins on Earth leads a team of explorers to the darkest parts of the universe. Two brilliant young scientists lead the expedition. Shaw (Noomi Rapace) hopes that they will meet a race of benevolent, godlike beings who will in some way verify her religious beliefs, while Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) is out to debunk any spiritual notions. However, neither the scientists nor their shipmates are prepared for the unimaginable terrors that await them.

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Critics Consensus

Ridley Scott's ambitious quasi-prequel to Alien may not answer all of its big questions, but it's redeemed by its haunting visual grandeur and compelling performances -- particularly Michael Fassbender as a fastidious android.

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Blu B

It's got a lot of ideas and lots of characters on top of that. The cinematography is really good and easily the highlight. It's dark and depressing looking lots of times but never lifeless or so dark you can barely see it. The sets, camerawork, lighting, are all really well done and do a great job evoking that Alien feel to it without feeling like it's being a blantant ripoff. The CGI is ok and easily the weakest thing production wise. It doesn't look anywhere as good most of the time as when practical effects are used in this which are top notch. The music is really good but not catchy on it's own but rather used well. Everything else is solid. Elba and Rapace are good and the best characters in this. Fassbender isn't bad but doesn't have too much emotion (makes sense for his role) but he feels restrained compared to Bishop or Ash. Everyone else just kind of blends in for the most part. There are a big group of characters in this and unlike the first movies in the franchise they don't stick out or all get the same amount of devlopment. Where the biggest issue lies is this goes between the actual unfolding of the ship and the fallout from it which is the best part and than it alternates back to subplots between the whole crew. The issue is they are never all together in one group and as a result we get lots of cutting and jumping around in between and some of these crew are more interesting than others. This tries expanding on it's world building, mythos, and the cool Sci Fi elements while also trying to flesh out as best it can a well rounded large group of characters and it clearly does the former better. The latter kind of brings momentum to a halt at certain points. Though it is able to pick it up consistently where it left off. It certainly does take elements from the first Alien more than anything as it's horror and Sci-Fi together. This also is quite slow for the first 50 minutes as well and while it's not bad it's nowhere near the masterpiece of slow but immersive like how the first one did it in its first half. There are also a few convienent plot moments like how Shaw starts to get pain right at the moment she is scanned or how the creature knows exactly where Shaw is right after the crash but it's fine. Shaw also is a cool final girl but not as badass as Ripley. Overall, when it expands on the mythos and core mystery it's really interesting, original, and the best part. When it doesn't and focuses on it's characters the results are more mixed and less consistent but never terrible. It's easily the best thing since Aliens for the franchise and deserves to be right below but not next to the first two. Anyone who is a fan of the franchise, any actors in this, Scott's work, or Sci-Fi will like this.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

Mary Z

Good design, art and vfx. Poor plot pitch.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

C H

A film worthy of any of the previous Alien movies. The magic of Fassbender simply shines through.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/26/24

Full Review

Hayden F

A great film, with amazing visuals, with decent characters. It is a pity it doesn't fit into the overall Alien lore better.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/21/24

Full Review

David A

Promotheus is clearly not for everyone but is one of the best visual movie out there. The direction, the artistic team, the script, the cast and crew created a movie with a pulse, a rhythm that push you over the edge ask the question of where do we come and the pursue of why we where create. The only thing that in my mind have sabotage that movie is the next step: Alien Covenant who destroyed what could have been a great part two and what could have been a perfect connection between Promotheus and Alien. I feel that Ridley was push to fast for the quality that he usually accomplish. But I still re-watch that movie because its amazing and deserve better credit than people think.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/24

Full Review

David G

Sadly, a dismal addition to a great sci-fi story. In all honesty ,I bailed out of the series once they killed off Boo in the third film. But, I was hoping for another edge of your seat adventure with Prometheus. It was not to be. Who would coochie coo, with an alien life form? They did in this movie. And so began the demise of this feature film. I hope someone, someday, brings to the screen a character rich, story driven sequel, but this is not it!!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/14/24

Full Review

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Ridley Scott

Director

Noomi Rapace

Elizabeth Shaw

Michael Fassbender

David

Charlize Theron

Meredith Vickers

Idris Elba

Janek

Guy Pearce

Peter Weyland

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Prometheus recaptures the essence of not only a beloved franchise, but also an admired yet complicated genre many filmmakers attempt but few successfully. In short, it shows the amateurs how it's really done.

Rated: A

Sep 8, 2017

Full Review

Tom Charity

CNN.com

Even if the movie's logic ultimately spirals down into a vortex of hysteria, horror and hokum, I enjoyed the bulldozer intensity of the climax, which barely keeps a lid on the crackpot cult movie that's wrestling for the soul of this... blockbuster.

Nov 9, 2016

Full Review

Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

With poise and great artistry, Scott crafts a world that combines high-tech science, primal beginnings, human frailty and sheer horror.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 9, 2016

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

It's not without its narrative stumbles, yet it's still impressive to see how Scott can return to the franchise and show how he is happy to challenge himself by exploring new avenues as opposed to resting on his laurels.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 24, 2023

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Prometheus asks a lot of questions that it refuses to answer, but if you're wiling to go along this philosophical ride there's plenty to enjoy.

Rated: 4/5

May 3, 2023

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Ambitious to a fault, Scott's return to the beloved franchise is as philosophical as it is messy. Smart scientists make dumb decisions, yes, but the film is gorgeous, intriguing in its heady ideas, and features a solid Ripley combo in Vickers & Shaw

Rated: 4/5

Apr 26, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

The discovery of a clue to mankind's origins on Earth leads a team of explorers to the darkest parts of the universe. Two brilliant young scientists lead the expedition. Shaw (Noomi Rapace) hopes that they will meet a race of benevolent, godlike beings who will in some way verify her religious beliefs, while Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) is out to debunk any spiritual notions. However, neither the scientists nor their shipmates are prepared for the unimaginable terrors that await them.

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Michael Costigan, Mark Huffam, Michael Ellenberg, Damon Lindelof
Screenwriter: Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Scott Free Productions, Brandywine Productions
Rating: R (Sci-Fi Violence|Brief Language|Some Intense Images)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 8, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $126.5M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby

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