10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Prometheus, 12 Years Later

Upon release, Prometheus became one of the most critically and financially successful installments in the entire Alien series – yet, 12 years on, it’s increasingly obvious that some aspects of the movie work better than others. With a 73% critics score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and a $403 million global box office, the film clearly found a sizable audience. However, with the benefit of hindsight, revisiting Prometheus reveals some serious flaws that no amount of contemporary critical praise or popular acclaim can overcome.

Prometheus‘ relationship with the Alien saga is somewhat complicated. Before release, director Ridley Scott famously said that the film would share strands of “Alien’s DNA,” establishing a clear connection between the projects. While key story details confirmed that the two films were closely linked, the narrative was not a direct prelude to the original Alien, following different characters and different tangents. This approach had the potential to be both bold and effective. However, while the movie’s sense of spectacle remains impressive in 2024, other features feel surprisingly frustrating.

10 The Movie’s Engineer Story Is A Mess

The Main Protagonists Are Frustratingly Ill-Conceived

Prometheus‘ problems are evident from the outset thanks to the film’s Engineer opening. The aliens, which belong to the same race as Alien‘s enigmatic “space jockey” are central to every element of the story, having seeded human life on Earth and laid a trail of breadcrumbs for the Prometheus’ crew to follow several thousand years later. Their presence allows the movie to explore weighty subjects like humanity’s origin and the purpose behind our creation. Unfortunately, the Engineers’ actions and motivations fall apart under the slightest scrutiny.

From why they created human beings, to how their role relates to our understanding of evolution (a plot hole pointed out by one of Prometheus‘ characters), several aspects of the Engineers’ story don’t stack up. It’s never clear why they would want to direct humans to their weapons reserve on LV-223, nor why the revived Engineer is so determined to destroy humanity once it has awoken. While their presence in the narrative (and in humanity’s own past) raises intriguing questions, Prometheus doesn’t provide a satisfying answer to any of them, making the exploration of the space jockey feel like a wasted opportunity.

9 The Black Goo Makes No Sense

Its Properties And Powers Are Poorly Explained

The problems with Prometheus‘ mysterious black goo are even more acute than the issues with the Engineers. From the outset, the strange substance is central to everything that happens in the film – insinuated to be the central ingredient in humanity’s creation in the movie’s puzzling opening. However, exactly what the black goo is, how it works, or what its powers are, is one of many Prometheus plot points that never receives a satisfying explanation.

At various points in the movie, the goo is suggested to be instantly fatal to Engineers, capable of transforming into an internal parasite (in the case of Holloway), transmittable via sex (as happens with Shaw), and dangerous enough to turn Fifield into a zombie. It also seems to be a home for the alien insects and snake-like Hammerpede that inhabit the Engineer facility. All of this proves the black goo’s potency, but doesn’t provide a rational explanation for what it is and how it works. This is especially frustrating, given its central role in later franchise installments like Alien: Covenant and Alien: Romulus.

8 The Alien Symbology Is Incredibly Confusing

It Undercuts Prometheus’ Sequel Story

While Prometheus doesn’t feature a fully-fledged xenomorph (even the Deacon creature seen at the end is notably different), clues about the iconic creature’s presence are scattered throughout the story. From a mural that the expeditionary team identifies (seemingly complete with an H.R. Giger-like alien design) to Fifield and Millburn’s ominous discovery that several Engineers appear to have exploded from the inside, the connection isn’t exactly subtle.

The problem is that not only does the xenomorph never appear in the movie itself, but Prometheus‘ own sequel contradicts it having any role at all. According to Alien: Covenant, xenomorphs as we know them are only created as a result of David’s extensive experimentation. This, however, clearly creates several problems for the creatures’ apparent behind-the-scenes role in Prometheus. It’s perhaps the biggest example of how later events in the Alien series have made key elements of Prometheus‘ story seem redundant, or even directly contradictory.

7 Prometheus’ Characters Are Shallow (& Frustratingly Stupid)

Some Of Their Decisions Are Truly Baffling

Like many sprawling sci-fi stories, Prometheus suffers from offering limited screen time to its expansive cast. The result is that many characters feel thinly sketched and lacking in motivation or development. Sean Harris’ Fifield, for example, is established early as being in it for the money, yet this seems to have no further bearing on his character. Likewise, Charlize Theron’s Vickers is shown as cold and authoritative, with little rationale for her dismissive behavior towards the rest of the team. The result is that major reveals, like the twist that Vickers is Weyland’s daughter, fall flat.

These issues are minor, however, compared to the baffling stupidity of many Prometheus characters. Whether it’s Holloway’s decision to remove his helmet (despite the dangers of an alien planet), Millburn’s determination to pet a clearly hostile alien, or Shaw’s belief that she should ignore a warning about an impending silica storm for a few more minutes of study, characters make a succession of bizarre decisions, seemingly for no other decision than to move the plot forward. This both undermines their authenticity and makes the whole story feel incredibly contrived.

6 Prometheus Wastes Great Actors In Minor Roles

The Cast Is Incredibly Strong

Prometheus‘ large cast doesn’t just limit character development. It also means that several actors – many of whom would be capable of taking the limelight in other projects – feel grossly underutilized. While some performances (notably, Michael Fassbender as the android David) shine, for most of the actors involved, the story provides them with precious little opportunity to bring their characters to life.

The likes of Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce all feature surprisingly little in the story. Idris Elba’s Janek features in one or two scenes before a heroic act of self-sacrifice, Theron is only able to show the cold and uncaring side of her character, and Pearce is absent for most of the runtime, save for a brief interjection at the end. Other actors, such as Benedict Wong, are even more harshly done by, appearing in a couple of brief exchanges before sharing Janek’s fate. The result is a movie full of performance potential, but lacking in end product.

5 Michael Fassbender Is Great, But David Is Confusing

The Character Is Full Of Contradictions

One of Prometheus‘ greatest strengths is Michael Fassbender’s detached, childlike, and slightly sociopathic performance as David. While Prometheus lacks a traditional central villain, David is as close as the movie comes to an antagonist – a role he would fully embrace in Alien: Covenant. However, as watchable as Fassbender is, his character is a frustrating mass of contradictions.

Though the movie’s opening establishes David as a figure who is trying to learn about his place in the world, many of his defining character traits are never fully explained. His obsession with Lawrence of Arabia, for instance, has little discernable impact on the story. It’s also unclear why he takes the dramatic step of poisoning Holloway, why he suddenly decides to ally himself with Shaw in the movie’s end, or to what extent his actions are motivated either by his own curiosity or loyalty to Weyland. The answers to these questions fundamentally alter Prometheus‘ message and meaning, yet are never satisfyingly answered.

4 The Script Often Lets Prometheus Down

There Are Problems On A Macro And Micro Level

From both a broad narrative and specific character perspective, 12 years’ distance proves that there are major problems with Prometheus‘ script. The seemingly irrational behavior of multiple characters, the central setup of Weyland’s trillion-dollar expedition that never told its participants where they were going, and the emergence of an existential threat to humanity all arrive without any real internal logic. On reflection, it seems like these events just happen because the script requires them to, not because it makes sense for the story.

These high-level problems aside, Prometheus also suffers from some truly grating dialog. Fifield’s declaration that he “loves rocks“, Vickers and Janek’s stilted flirting, and Holloway’s drunken strop about being unable to converse with a dead alien all undercut the movie’s more portentous tone and themes. The result leaves Prometheus feeling disjointed at best and downright awkward at worst.

3 Prometheus’ Strengths Can’t Make Up For Its Collective Problems

The Movie’s Logic Doesn’t Stand Up To Scrutiny

Watching Prometheus for the first time in 2012, the movie’s impressive scale, often sumptuous visuals, and sense of style made up for its other shortcomings. However, 12 years on and within the broader context of the wider Alien franchise, the movie’s multiple plot holes seem even more detrimental. In isolation, details like Millburn and Fifield’s bizarre decision to wander off from the main group add to the air of confusion. However, it’s only with hindsight Prometheus truly buckles under the collective weight of its narrative missteps.

In 2024, it’s possible to fully appreciate how the unexplained black goo, what the Engineers really want, and the irrational behavior of the characters all undermine Prometheus in a way that wasn’t always possible thanks to the initial impact of the movie’s screen presence. Much as a movie like Avatar deflected concerns over its story because of its startling visual effects, it seems Prometheus only escaped a sterner critique because it looks so good. Now this impact has lessened, the movie’s weaknesses seem much more prominent.

2 Prometheus Didn’t Need To Be Connected To Alien

It Could Have Worked As A Different Project

There’s no doubt that part of what made Prometheus such a success (and so exciting for fans) was the dual promise of an Alien prequel and Ridley Scott’s return to the franchise. However, while this connection was a persuasive argument for the project’s viability, it was also unnecessary – purely based on the narrative.

A story about a group of intrepid explorers determined to uncover humanity’s origins in deep space could have been a fascinating standalone sci-fi feature, or even the start of a whole new franchise. Nothing about this set-up needed Alien to deliver a compelling story. Instead, the Alien Easter eggs put the movie in an impossible position – forcing it to try and tell a different kind of story to the self-contained original, while also staying true to the source material. In the end, it proved an impossible balancing act.

1 Prometheus’ Story Hurt The Alien Franchise

It Was The Worst Mistake A Prequel Can Make

In 2012, it wasn’t necessarily clear to what extent Prometheus would impact the Alien story. While it had sown the seeds for key plot points like the black goo and provided a somewhat disappointing explanation for the space jockey, the relationship between the characters and story still seemed somewhat tenuous. This all changed with later installments.

Picking up directly where Prometheus left off, Alien: Covenant retconned the entire saga, rewriting the xenomorph as an android bioweapon, rather than the “perfect organism” featured in the first movie. This development, which completely undermines the terrifying implications of Alien, would not have been possible without Prometheus‘ revelations. The fact that upcoming TV series Alien: Earth is set to rewrite this aspect of the franchise once again is proof that Prometheus‘ story innovations failed to have a positive impact – a damning indictment of the movie’s legacy and relevance in 2024.