Prometheus

(M) Fox DVD/BD & Digital Download

Ridley Scott says in a featurette of the film that it is “all about everything” and it is a bit of a pastiche of ideas and ideologies.

Scott’s story concept was partially inspired by the work of Chariots of the Gods author Erich von Daniken’s writings about the theory of ancient astronauts, suggesting that life on Earth was created by aliens.

Scott said, “NASA and the Vatican agree that [it is] almost mathematically impossible that we can be where we are today without there being a little help along the way … That’s what we’re looking at [in the film], at some of Erich von Daniken’s ideas of how did we humans come about. Humans are driven by why they exist. The film poses the question: What if we were created as some kind of experiment.”

In asking these questions the film is rife with ideas about creation, the origins of humanity (embodied in the android character David played by Michael Fassbender) and whether there is a need to wipe the slate clean and start again.

In coming up with the themes the film deals with Writer/Executive Producer Damon Lindelof states that “the thematic point of the film is that it’s about creation. About humanity exploring its own sentience in the universe,” and that the Weyland Corporation and Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) are attempting to seek out the beings who may or may not have created life on earth.

The character of Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) is a Christian who believes that their discoveries have a purpose. Her strong faith frames many of the questions posed by the film.

Whether or not you believe these questions are addressed adequately and whether you watch this as the prequel to Scott’s original Alien is part of the intrigue of Prometheus.

Special features across all the formats promise to reveal some of the thinking behind some of the tantalising ideas the film poses and in a world first, Ridley and his team have created an app so that while watching the film on Blu-Ray on your Smart TV (for those who have one) you can sync your tablet or smart phone and watch content streaming on your mobile device while watching the film.

Called the Weyland Corp Archive Second Screen app, this new software enables your tablet or smart phone as a second screen to view extra and exclusive material, and even throw material from one screen to your television to better explore its detail. You can download the app from iTunes or Google Play to begin this immersive experience.

Adrian Drayton