For the days leading up to Christmas, Strangers and Aliens presents 24 Christmas movies that aren’t Christmas movies, but really kind of are, for various reasons.
#1 — Prometheus
What it’s supposed to be: a blockbuster sci-fi movie that serves as Ridley Scott’s return to sci-fi, and also a semi-prequel to one of the most groundbreaking sci-fi films in history, Alien
Why it’s a Christmas movie: When they arrive at the planet they have been sent to investigate, the pilot, Janik (Idris Alba), sets up a Christmas tree because, back home, it’s Christmas.
Thoughts: Prometheus is an interesting movie, for a number of reasons.
One reason is its treatment of religion. In a big budget sci-fi movie, a lot of time is spent developing themes of belief, religion, mortality, and seeking out your creator.
In the midst of this, what feels like just an interesting character moment was meant to be something bigger. Much bigger. The Christmas tree was supposed to go along with an idea that Ridley Scott was toying with. Already, they had the “ancient astronaut” thing going, by having ancient alien scientists seeding other worlds (one being, presumably, ours), but he also intended to make the implication that, a couple thousand years ago (oh, around 30 A.D.) they sent one of their own to come and check up on us.
He, of course, was killed. And so, a major world religion was born with his death . . . and the other thing born because of his death was the ancient alien astronauts’ desire to kill all of us.
Basically, Prometheus was meant to not just be about aliens causing humans to evolve, it was also meant to be a “space alien Jesus” movie.
It didn’t go that direction, and instead we got a movie that has far more fiction than science, but also has some interesting moments to cause you to think a little bit, if you want.
Is It Naughty or Nice? Is this movie worth watching? Yes. I know a lot of people are down on it, for a variety of legitimate reasons. But all things considered, this is a gorgeous sci-fi movie with beautiful ships, awesome star fields, interesting creatures, and a slight connection to the Aliens we know and love. I’d say for most sci-fi fans, it’d be worth a rental. And for me, I bought it and have watched it a couple times. I like what it does and I like how it does it.
Santa Ben’s Verdict: Nice.
Your verdict? Let me know below in the comments!
Next: Jaws: The Revenge.
You can follow this series of posts by clicking here: Strange Christmas Movies
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