Prometheus: A Classic Example
The movie Prometheus (2012) is a classic example of the lack of doubt found in humans. The character’s actions and the story’s plot all point to my mentioned “lack of doubt.” I would like to include a spoiler alert, for I will reveal most of the plot in this review.
The movie starts off with two scientists (Elizabeth Shaw and David Holloway) finding enough proof to suggest that identical cave paintings all over the world are a map leading us to a particular planet. Their blind devotion to their goal (finding the origins of humans) hides the fact that their trip may be dangerous. As the plot continues, it’s clear that the expedition across space was very dangerous (threatening the human race). The paintings were not exactly the message that it seemed to be according to the two scientists. This predictable mistake makes the lack of doubt clear in their behavior.
The idea of the questionable origin of the human species is discussed and analyzed beautifully by the film. Shaw and Holloway are firm believers in God, while there are also characters that disagree with faith. The captain of the spaceship (Meredith Vickers) and David (a human-robot) even question David and Elizabeth’s beliefs during the film, making for great discussions on the merits of both. Shaw’s religious views are held in such perfect opposition because of David’s status as a robot. He has no soul, and therefore cannot want the ideas of eternal life and
salvation that is the reward of religion. This is the equivalent of an all you can eat steak dinner for the minds of any philosophical thinker.
The deception continues with Peter Wayland, the deceased investor who pays for the expedition. Wayland is clearly the deceiver of the story. He uses Shaw and Holloway’s passion to lead him to the planet, but his motive turn out to be less for the sake of discovery than they originally seemed. Turns out he is not dead, but kept in some sort of medical coma that preserves his life just long enough to possibly find a way on the planet to stop his aging. A good bit of artistic touch is the foreshadowing when Wayland is presented to the characters and the audience. He speaks through a recorded hologram because he is supposedly dead. The hologram (which is very close to the real thing, but not) is a great representation of the perception versus reality that Shaw and Holloway learn throughout the film.
Unfortunately for our main characters, their lack of doubt gets them into further trouble as the plot thickens. David (the robot) is assumed to be programmed never to harm anyone, but his allegiance to Wayland’s hidden motives has him poisoning the two scientists. Holloway drinks the alien poison because David simply offers him a drink. David is also a deceiver in this way; he slips the alien substance into Holloway’s drink. This lack of doubt ends up killing Holloway and impregnating Shaw with an alien creature. The film’s constant warning exemplified by Holloway’s demise leaves its viewers questioning what they take for granted.
The biggest impact of Shaw and Holloways lack of doubt plays into the original intention of the cave paintings. It is clear what they find on the alien planet
is not anything that would help the human race, but actually destroy it. The poisonous substance that killed Holloway was almost sent to Earth because of the expedition. If Holloway’s death and Shaw’s painful experience were not enough to convey why things should not be taken for granted, this grim plot twist does the trick.
Prometheus shows the argument between faith and logic in two very artful ways. The viewers are shown flashbacks to Shaw’s childhood where her father explains why he believes in God. He says, “It’s just what I choose to believe.” Elizabeth repeats this later in the film, which is in great contrast to David’s (the robot) view. He is a robot communicating and thinking via artificial intelligence, so his primary way of thought is logic and reasoning. The conflict between the right to believe what one wants and dismissing faith because of lack of logical proof is displayed throughout the film, with the ending suggesting the film’s meaning on the subject. Elizabeth and David (the robot) are the only ones to survive the disaster. David is only his head after his body was mangled, but Elizabeth needs David to drive the spaceship away from the planet. This need for one another suggests that a compromise between faith and logic is the solution to the argument.
The movie seems to support belief in God. Shaw’s peace of mind found in her faith sticks out as helpful during the disastrous situation, while logical characters like Meredith Vickers dies in a state of anger and fear. She even questions why she came, making God a preferable choice of comfort over Vickers’ cynical mindset.
The movie urges viewers to view their world differently through the characters’ realizations. The seemingly promising expedition goes so horribly wrong, that viewers may think not to view the world as optimistically as Shaw and Holloway. After seeing the trouble the characters get into, its clear that the film suggest that assuming anyone or anything is possibly not dangerous can get people in a lot of trouble. Shaw clearly switches to this cynical view with her final decision. Instead of assuming the creators of the poison will not attack Earth, she assumes the worst and heads to stop them on their home planet. What Prometheus does well is showing how her more cynical view does not change her faith providing good commentary on the topic.
Overall, I would have to say Prometheus is a one-of-a-kind movie. I give it Five Stars because of its masterful discussion of philosophic ideas. With plot elements and characterization the film reinforces themes and suggest solutions to philosophic conundrums making it a must watch for any critical or philosophic thinker. Throw in an intense plot and fantastic acting and it is clear why I regard this movie so highly. Be ready to pay attention when you watch this one, there sure is a lot to decipher!