I see "Prometheus" as a film that is far more about big ideas than it is about an entertaining popcorn film. After all, isn't the entire metaphor of the Prometheus story exactly what we're seeing? Prometheus gave humans fire, which threatened to put humans on equal footing with the gods. Science in the film has put humans on equal footing with their cosmic creators, but does this change anything about the stock existential dilemmas that exist in a world where there are any kinds of gods? No. Every one of the questions about our existence still stands and the film is very much an existential journey to get these answers by humans who finally think they can do that through science, as opposed to the traditional introspection. After all, why wait for an apple to fall on your head when you can just go meet the gods and ask some questions, right? Just as the Greek myth has things going poorly, so we see the results of attempting to be equal with the gods. But, what does that mean for faith? The protagonist, Shaw, possesses a strong Christian faith that she is not willing to give up despite everything she has seen and proven. An atheist character tells her that she can take off her cross now. They've proven that there's no God and that life is meaningless since humans came from Engineers, not some divine god, haven't they? This scene struck me as clever because the argument is no different than if this discovery was not made. Shaw continues to believe in God and the possibility of answers. In fact, she seems to be even more excited by the possibilities of receiving these answers now that she can get physical proof. It isn't a question of destroying faith - simply a question of context. We can see man's creation, a robot named David, coming to terms with all of this information at the same time. David expresses what it means to be alive but not human. He's never really in danger - nor does he fear what he could find. Opposite David, we see human arrogance, stupidity, fragility, mortality, and biological concerns like being able to procreate. He has no faith - why would he? In one of the final scenes, David's severed head expresses confusion at Shaw's determination to get the answers of her existence. She concludes that he can't understand because he's not human. For him, existence is an open and shut case. He was created because man could create. There is no meaning or greater purpose involved.
Thematically, the film follows all the trials and tribulations of attempting to be on equal footing with gods. Faith is tested, and in the end, you have to decide for yourself what you want to believe just like you did before you walked in. You're shown a series of thought provoking events that lead to no real solid answers, because there are none to be found. As the film ends with Shaw continuing on with her journey to get physical answers for existence as she still has faith that there is some purpose, the audience must come to conclusions alone. Is there any meaning to what we saw? The film has a lot of potential to disappoint viewers looking for a sci-fi epic alone because Ridley Scott had more on his mind than just the plot this time. So, the big question I'm left with is this - would the film really have been better with answers? Perhaps more closure would have satisfied some, but would "Prometheus" be a great movie if it told you everything? I'm asking you to look at "Prometheus" as something other than a popcorn flick. Would you want to know everything about Kubrick's films? Perhaps this isn't really up to the caliber of a Kubrick picture, but that doesn't disqualify Scott from creating a solid thought provoking cerebral film. So, do you want answers, or should the general theme of faith and the problems with attempting to be equal with the gods be the point of the movie? The idea is that, if "Prometheus" told you everything, it would be a completely different movie and certainly not the film that Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof wanted to make. For me, "Prometheus" is bolder and better for staying true to its thesis and not answering every question. It's not of ten that a film does this intentionally and also created a solid film as well, but I'd say it pulls this off. Am I off base here by comparing an "Alien" film with the art of Kubrick or the Coens? Was "Prometheus" meaningful by making you think or is it as meaningless and underwhelming as
The Goy's Teeth?