Monday, June 18, 2012

People’s Review VI: Prometheus

The People’s Critic took a moment from his busy schedule informing the masses on the capitalist threat to review this new film from the creative genius Ridley Scott. The film is set in the not so distant future.  The capitalist state has survived and thrived.  “The Corporation” has the funds and science to send expeditions to far away stars.  And as in most futuristic films, the role of proletariat is mostly taken on my robots. As a prequel to the Alien series, the robot in this film is very human looking.  Though not the capitalists’ intention, it serves to generate empathy for the downtrodden and oppressed robot as he is looked down on by his bourgeois masters. The proletariat also includes a number of human beings who obviously struggle under the thumb of capitalist oppression. Unfortunately for them, “The Corporation” has used them and does nothing to save them from the alien threat.

The steep stratification in this society is emphatically demonstrated in the microcosm of the ship.  The Corporation’s representative is given a luxurious and spacious suite which includes a view screen showing scenes from earth, a bar, and a highly advanced automated medical bay. The bourgeois scientists are given a room with a lounge area.  The rest of the crew is relegated to un-named bunks as they populate the proletariat masses and obviously do not need creature comforts. The decadence of the capitalist pig dog is unashamedly thrown in the faces of the bewildered scientist as they are put on no uncertain terms that they are slaves to the corporate state.

As the exploration of the alien ruins proceeds, the proletariat is sent in to risk their lives to discover the secrets of the facility.  Before long, the proletariat is serving on the front line as an unknown alien and biological threat is unleashed by a greedy and amoral capitalist plot.  These machinations are thinly veiled by their use of the lowly robot to implement the program of reckless scientific probing. When the living “engineer” is found, the ruthless corporate executive is revealed and the veil pulled away.  The “engineer”, awoken after thousands of years, sees through the capitalist plot and immediately springs into action to bring down the corruption that the capitalists have inflicted upon the universe. Unfortunately, the proletariat still on the ship is unaware of this and thwarts the champion of the worker as he attempts to take off.

The hopes of the workers dashed, the bourgeois scientist sets off to eradicate the champions of the worker paradise, which we will assume happens in the sequel.

Ratings:

Capitalist Slant: 4/10 While the corporation is victorious, their ugly brutality is on full display, even if it is primarily shown through the eyes of the bourgeois scientist.

Strength of the Veil: 1/10 as despite what Ridley Scott says, this film is obviously a thinly veiled Alien prequel.  

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