They went looking for our beginning What they found could be our end Prometheus is a 2012 science-fiction film directed by
Ridley Scott, and a semi-prequel to the 1979 film
Alien. Notably,
Prometheus marks Scott's return to the science-fiction genre after thirty long years, the last of which was
Blade Runner.
The film follows a team of scientists and cosmonauts who set out on the research vessel
Prometheus to unravel the mystery of the dawn of mankind...
and that exhausts all we officially know about the film. For months there was speculation as to whether
Prometheus was actually related to the
Alien franchise, having started as a direct prequel before moving onto something new entirely during its initial inception. Since then it's been confirmed it takes place in the
Alien canon, though only loosely. Don't expect a cameo from everyone's favorite Xenomorph... you can, however, expect to see the "Space Jockey" and references to the
Weyland-Yutani corporation.
Prometheus currently has a release date of June 1st, 2012 in the United Kingdom and other territories, and one week later in the U.S. It is also set to be released in 3D.
The first trailer can be seen
here
.
Prometheus contains the following tropes:
- Actor Allusion: One of the viral videos has various names cycling through over the image of Dr Elizabeth Shaw, including, for a split second, Lisbeth.
- All Star Cast:
- All There in the Manual: The Weyland Industries corporate timeline goes into much more detail about the technology and devices used in the film. The website's timeline also gives a much better understanding of Earth's advancement in the years leading up to the film's events, along with vague references to the main film series (including a mention of prototype rifles being developed for the Colonial Marines) and several interesting notes about Weyland's history, including the remark that he named the "David" android line after the name he wanted to give to his unborn child if it was a boy.
- An Axe to Grind: Shaw is seen creeping around the ship in her spacesuit with an axe in her hand in one of the trailers, and Mutated!Fifield uses one in a tv spot.
- Ancient Astronauts
- Artificial Human: David.
- Body Horror
- Call Forward: The videoscreen in Vickers' room aboard the Prometheus appears to be the same technology that is seen during a scene from Aliens, where Ripley sits on a bench in the Weyland-Yutani operated Gateway Station and watches the scenery change on the screen behind her.
- Canon Discontinuity: Prometheus ignores the Alien VS Predator films. The Weyland Industries timeline notably does not feature Charles Bishop Weyland, who founded Weyland industries in that canon.
- Continuity Porn: Everything related to the film, from the Viral Marketing campaign (that shows Weyland Industries before it merged with the Yutani Corporation) to the content of the plot (the crew interacts with the same type of ship seen in the original film, the Space Jockey race, proto-chestbursters and eggs, etc.), is made of this.
- Cosmetically Advanced Prequel: This will depend on how much the film will play, if any, with Alien canon.
- Possibly justified, if it is part of the canon, as the Prometheus is a brand new expedition ship, while the Nostromo from Alien was an old space truck designed for cargo.
- Cosmic Horror Story: From the looks of it, this will outdo the original Alien in terms of inhuman terrors.
- Drone Of Dread
- Final Girl: According to Scott, he intends to make use of this trope with Theron's character by explicitly stating she'll make it through to the end of the film.
- In Space, Everyone Can See Your Face: The crew of the Prometheus all wear clear domed helmets.
- Large Ham: Peter Weyland acts like a combination of Tony Stark and Steve Jobs during his 2023 TED speech.
- Love Interest: Holloway, a crewman onboard the Prometheus, will be this to Elizabeth.
- Meaningful Name: The ship is named Prometheus for the eponymous Greek titan, who stole fire from the Olympian gods to give to man and was punished. Peter Weyland discusses this at length in the 2023 TED Talk viral clip, and part of his speech is watched by the crew in the film.
- Mega Corp: Weyland Industries. How "mega"? Weyland and his company discovered and/or are responsible for biotech, nanotech, fusion energy, M-theory, deep space exploration and colonization and Artificial Humans.
- Mythology Gag: Compare the first trailer to the 1979 trailer for Alien; most notably it contains the same wailing tone throughout. Lampshaded by the online community later with this gem.
- Origins Episode: Scott claims fans will "recognize strands of Alien's "DNA" at a certain point in the film.
- The latest trailer shows a wall mural that looks eerily similar to the Xenomorph.
- P.O.V. Cam: The crew on the Prometheus watches the feeds from the expedition team's helmet-mounted cameras (seen from the operator's perspective) at several points in the film.
- Precursors: Alien Expanded Universe implied the "Space Jockeys" were responsible for man and the eponymous monster. Prometheus will likely answer whether this is true or not.
- Ramming Always Works: Janek sets the ship on an intercept course with the discovered Space Jockey ship to prevent it from leaving orbit and attacking Earth.
- Retraux: Subtle example, but the "Happy Birthday, David" viral video is done in the style of a 70's or early 80's informational or advertisement video. Its most noticeable in the retro music and the clipped, "brick to the ear" audio mastering, but also in the furniture and interiors shown, repeating, moving geometric patterns in the "beat clips," fonts on the infographics, as well as the high-key lighting and color choices.
- Ridiculously Human Robot: David. The "Happy Birthday, David" viral clip expressly states that the David 8 model is capable of seamlessly integrating with an employer's workforce, and is capable of expressing many emotions (although even David himself admits he doesn't completely understand the concept of them).
- Shout Out: Elizabeth Shaw
- Single Tear: David sheds a single tear in the "Happy Birthday, David" clip after being asked what makes him sad.
- Stanley Steamer Spaceship: The Prometheus itself, notably seen when steam comes out from the floor of the cargo bay as the expedition team first sets out.
- Stealth Prequel: It's about the Space Jockey from the first film: The Xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani will probably have at least small cameo/references, but it's not about them.
- Subverted in that it's not set on LV-426.
- Three Laws Compliant: Played with in the "Happy Birthday, David" viral clip. David states that he can seamlessly integrate with an employer's workforce effortlessly and do what is asked of him, but also states that he can carry out directives that are too "distressing or unethical" for anyone else. This foreshadows Ash's behavior in the original Alien, and Bishop's comment about how his programming will never allow him to harm another human being.
- Trailers Always Spoil: The trailers for the film clearly show the Prometheus plowing into the side of the Space Jockey ship and partially blowing up, Shaw's emergency abortion, the living Engineer attacking several members of the crew, and much more.
- Uncanny Valley: Heavily invoked by the "Happy Birthday, David" viral clip. David is shown making several odd gestures, including what appears to be a slight moment of processing when the narrator asks what he can do (tilting his head slightly with a glossy look in his eyes), and his speech about how war and poverty make him sad, complete with thorough waterworks, then (without missing a beat or changing expression) describing how he does not feel even the remotest emotion but can replicate them perfectly.
- Villain Protagonist: Vickers, according to Theron.
- Viral Marketing - Includes a futuristic TED conference with Peter Weyland, the unveiling of the new "David 8" model and an "official website" linking to Weyland Industries, detailing the timeline of the company and its accomplishments.
- When It All Began: The first 15 minutes-or-so will serve as a "beginning of time" sequence.
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