'Prometheus' a must-see in theaters

Short review: Unsurprisingly good. Well-acted, well-directed, fantastic script, action, special effects — best sci-fi movie in years. If you’re a fan of the "Alien" movies, you MUST see this one. If you’re not an uber fan, you’ll still enjoy a really well-made movie.

Idea: Let’s make a really good sci-fi, space horror movie.

Response: That’s already been done.

Reply: Not with Charlize Theron.

Response: But she’s already in a movie, just came out last weekend.

Reply: Sure, but is she doing push-ups while wet and not wearing much?

Response: She is now. Genius.

Directed and produced by Ridley Scott, this is not his first sci-fi film. The others are "Blade Runner," considered a classic in the sci-fi genre, and the original "Alien," the one that started it all. Fans of the original "Alien" films had fears that Scott might mess with the "Alien" story, well, let me tell you, he didn’t. This definitely is a prequel to "Alien."

Some reviewers have said that this movie doesn’t answer any questions, only raises more. But no, they’re freakin’ wrong. Sure, it asks the question of the origin of the human species and has a very interesting answer that only raises more questions. However, it DOES answer the No. 1 question all us "Alien" fans want to know, where did the aliens (ya know, the banana-headed, human-eating xenomorphs born from the chest of another human impregnated from a face-hugger) come from? Now we know! (But I’m not gonna tell you; you’ll have to watch it!)

The name “Prometheus” is the name of the spaceship that visits the moon LV-233 in the movie, comes from Greek mythology and is directly referred to in the movie. Prometheus is a titan who created humans by forming them from clay. The ship and the movie attempt to discover the origin of the human species with help from ancient cave drawings that seem to point to a very specific place in space, with a planet and a moon.

Once they arrive, it quickly becomes clear that an ancient alien species built large structures, yet it is unclear what they are for. So, the scientists who land on the moon go inside one of the structures, and they find big, fuzzy, nice things that want to be friends. Wait, no; they find weird sculptures and dead aliens that were obviously scared out of their minds and running from — something.

The references to the original "Alien" movies are subtle; they didn’t even land on the same moon (the moon that everything happens on in "Alien" and "Aliens" is LV-426; in "Prometheus," it’s LV-233, so, another prequel coming?). However, although there are much bigger ideas and bigger implications in "Prometheus," it still is very much a prequel to "Alien."

Oh, yeah; keep in mind, it's rated R for a reason, including some intense, gory body-invading scenes.

Should you see it in the theater? Absolutely.

Read Nathan R. Carlsen's Areavoices blog, "Movie Reviews by Nate," for more movie reviews, including a look back and the "Alien" and "Predator" films.

Tags: arts and entertainment, life, arts, entertainment, reviews, movies