A Star Map to Our Makers: Prometheus 2012

Prometheus (2012) is a science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof. It is the fifth film in the Alien series and Scott’s first return to it since Alien (1979). Set in the late 21st century, it follows the crew of the spaceship Prometheus as they follow an ancient star map in search of humanity’s makers. On a distant moon they find something that threatens to wipe out humanity. Noomi Rapace plays the archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw, and Michael Fassbender plays the android David. Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron co-star. Scott said the film carries “strands of Alien’s DNA” but explores its own mythology. It drew generally positive reviews, especially for its design and cast, and grossed $403.4 million. It was followed by Alien: Covenant (2017).

At a glance

Release date	May 31, 2012 (London premiere); June 1, 2012 (UK); June 8, 2012 (US)
Director	Ridley Scott
Writers	Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof
Starring	Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron
Runtime	124 minutes
Rating	R (US), for sci-fi violence including some intense images, and brief language
Budget	$120–130 million (estimated)
Box office	$403.4 million
Franchise	Alien: prequel to Alien (1979); followed by Alien: Covenant (2017)

Plot summary

In a prologue, as a spacecraft leaves an unnamed planet, a tall humanoid drinks a black liquid and dissolves, and his DNA breaks apart in a waterfall. In 2089, archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) find a star map in Scotland that matches others left by unrelated ancient cultures. They read it as an invitation from humanity’s creators, whom they call the “Engineers.” The elderly Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) funds an expedition aboard the Prometheus to the moon LV-223. The android David (Michael Fassbender) watches over the crew in stasis, under mission director Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) and Captain Janek (Idris Elba).

Inside a vast artificial structure, the crew find stone cylinders, a giant carved head and the corpse of a beheaded Engineer whose DNA matches human DNA. David secretly takes a cylinder leaking black liquid and slips a drop into Holloway’s drink. Two crewmen lost in the structure are attacked by a snake-like creature. Holloway sickens quickly, and Vickers burns him with a flamethrower at his own urging. Shaw, who was believed to be infertile, finds she is pregnant. She uses an automated surgery pod to cut a squid-like creature from her abdomen.

Spoiler section: the last Engineer

Weyland, Vickers’ father, has secretly been aboard the whole time, hoping the Engineers can stop him from dying. Janek concludes the structure is a military base where a biological weapon got loose. David wakes a surviving Engineer, who tears off his head and kills Weyland, then readies his ship to carry the weapon to Earth. Janek and the last crew members ram the Prometheus into it. The falling ship crushes Vickers. In the lifeboat, the Engineer is overpowered by Shaw’s now-giant offspring. Shaw takes David’s still-working head and sets off in another Engineer ship to find their home world. Behind her, a creature bursts from the Engineer’s chest.

Production and behind the scenes

Scott and James Cameron discussed a prequel exploring the “space jockey” from Alien as early as 2002, but Fox chose to make Alien vs. Predator instead. Scott came back to the idea in 2009. Spaihts pitched a “bridge” between new human characters and the Alien saga, and delivered a first draft on Christmas Day 2009. Scott wanted to avoid repeating the earlier films. In late 2010, Lindelof rewrote the script into a story that comes before Alien but isn’t directly tied to it. Pre-production began in April 2010. Fox paid for scientists and concept artists to imagine the late 21st century, and the project was kept highly secret.

Filming began on March 21, 2011, and lasted 82 days at Shepperton and Pinewood, including the 007 Stage, with locations in Iceland, Scotland, Jordan and Spain. It was shot in 3D, almost entirely on practical sets. Production designer Arthur Max drew on H. R. Giger, Ron Cobb and Chris Foss, reverse-engineering the look of Alien for an earlier time. Creature designer Carlos Huante made the creatures pale and embryonic as a contrast to Giger’s black designs. The film has about 1,300 effects shots, with Moving Picture Company handling 420. Its sound effects included Pop Rocks candy and sound designer Ann Scibelli’s parrot.

Release and reception

Marketing began at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2011. A viral campaign followed, including TED 2023, a short film directed by Scott’s son Luke, in which Pearce gives a TED talk as Weyland. The film premiered at London’s Empire, Leicester Square, on May 31, 2012. It earned $126.4 million in North America and $276.9 million elsewhere, for $403.4 million, the 18th-highest gross of 2012. It made $31.8 million in IMAX, then a record for a horror film in the format.

It holds 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus says it “may not answer all of its big questions” but is “redeemed by its haunting visual grandeur and compelling performances—particularly Michael Fassbender as a fastidious android.” Metacritic scores it 64, and CinemaScore audiences gave it a “B,” with viewers under 25 giving it an “A−.” Reviews most often praised its visuals, production values and cast.

Legacy and influence

The central theme is taken from its title: the Titan who defies the gods to give humanity fire and is punished for it. A human expedition goes looking for its makers and pays for it. Scott said in 2012 that a sequel could answer its open questions. Lindelof, who chose not to return, said they had decided what to resolve so the film could stand alone if a sequel never came. It came in 2017 as Alien: Covenant, with Fassbender back as David. For the original creature, see the Xenomorph, and for the series’ original heroine, Ellen Ripley.

Trivia

Scott gave the crew spherical glass helmets after reading about Gorilla Glass in a biography of Steve Jobs. Each prop helmet had nine working video screens.
David speaks to the Engineer in Proto-Indo-European.
A shot of Charlize Theron doing push-ups in the Comic-Con footage drew wide attention.
Fox made it the launch title for its “Digital HD” download service, three weeks before the disc release.
At the London IMAX it became the most pre-booked film in the theater’s history, ahead of Avatar and the final Harry Potter film.