“Prometheus” Crew: On A Mission Collision

Meet Ridley Scott’s space team in the thrilling and thought-provoking sci-fi “Prometheus” starring CharlizeTheron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green and Idris Elba. Shot entirely in 3D, legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott creates a new mythology in the film. He takes us on a momentous journey, posing intriguing questions about the origins of life. The story follows an intrepid team to the darkest corners of the universe and becomes embroiled in a battle of epic proportions where the future of the human race is at stake.

On the planet, the team meets a survivor of a civilization in control of some very dangerous elements, including various forms of biology and biomechanics, which in a heartbeat can eviscerate its victim, or worse.  “This brings us to the question,” says Scott, “what are the consequences of meeting a superior being, whose capabilities are quantum leaps beyond one’s own, and are in effect god-like?”

Or put another way:  Maybe there are some things best left unexplored.

“The film’s central metaphor is about the Greek Titan Prometheus, who defies the gods by giving humans the gift of fire, for which he is horribly punished,” Scott explains.  “When you talk about the myth on which the title is based, you’re dealing with humankind’s relationship with the gods – the beings who created us – and what happens when we defy them.”

The team of scientists and explorers aboard the Prometheus are on a journey to discover answers to some of life’s most profound questions.  Two brilliant young scientists, Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) possessing contrasting motivations, lead the expedition.  Shaw is a believer: she wants to meet these “gods” as a way of getting closer to her more traditional religious views, while Holloway is looking to debunk these kinds of spiritual notions.  In their work as archeologists, they have discovered clues in cave pictograms from ancient civilizations across the world, all of which point to the same location in distant space, and have persuaded a corporation, Weyland Industries, to fund the mission.

“Shaw is the heart of the search; Holloway is the guts,” adds Marshall-Green.  “I think Holloway is searching for answers to these huge questions because he’s always pushing the envelope. He goes to the extreme in everything he does, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse of the team.  I think what drives him is the thrill of the search.”

CharlizeTheron’s Vickers is a “suit” representing the interests of the mega-corporation funding the journey to a distant, foreboding world.   A very different kind of power is demonstrated by Meredith Vickers, a Weyland Industries executive who is onboard the Prometheus to represent the corporation’s mysterious interests.  When CharlizeTheron accepted the role, Vickers took on intriguing new dimensions.  Says Lindelof:  “Charlize and I worked together to create a more layered character.  Vickers is someone the audience will love to hate, but there are moments when we see her vulnerability and begin to understand how and why she became so mercenary and hardened. This makes her a much more interesting counterpoint to Shaw.”  Says Theron.  “Vickers is pragmatic, and desperately wants to control the situation.  She fights everything that everyone else is there to do, and it becomes evident that she has either an alternative agenda or that she is hiding something.”

Vickers’ cold efficiency might be characterized as machine-like, but another crewmember, David, portrayed by Michael Fassbender, is, literally, a machine – an android creation of the corporation. While David possesses extraordinary intelligence and other capabilities, his principal tasks on the Prometheus, says Scott, are servile.  “He’s basically the ship’s housekeeper, keeping an eye on everything while the human crew is in suspended animation.”

The combination of David’s intellect and menial directives makes for some of the film’s most unexpected moments of humor.  When we meet David, he’s like a child in a playground – but his playground is the Prometheus.  “While the rest of the crew is suspended animation, David is enjoying himself, tinkering with the ship’s many technical wonders. And like a child, David enjoys watching the same movie over and over again. Additionally, David’s views on the human crew are somewhat child-like.  He is jealous and arrogant because he realizes that his knowledge is all-encompassing and therefore he is superior to the humans.  David wants to be acknowledged and praised for his brilliance, yet nobody gives him the time of day,” shares Fassbender.

Every ship needs a good captain, and Prometheus is no different. Step forward then, Idris Elba as Captain Janek, the commander of the ship that provides Ridley Scott’s sci-fi blockbuster with its name. Janek, the captain of the Prometheus, is described by Scott as an “old sea dog” – an officer in the classic tradition, and an alpha male whose primary mission is to protect the ship and its crew.  His ambitions and vocation provide a sharp contrast to the heady goals of Shaw and Holloway and the venal corporate interests of Vickers.  Elba describes Janek as “a longshoreman and a sailor. It’s his life and the crew is his responsibility. Ultimately, he makes a huge decision that sums him up as a man.”

“Prometheus” in 3D – defying expectations in cinemas nationwide on June 7 from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. in Phils.