Barnabas File

When Alien came to the screen in 1979, moviegoers were confronted with the anti- Star Wars .  The mood was dark, the spaceship Nostromo was an unappealing wreck of a workhorse, the shocks were sudden and messy, and the crew was expendable.  Ridley Scott not only launched a franchise of creepy films but he also put his stamp on science fiction cinema.  As with Blade Runner, h is vision was unique and disturbing. In Prometheus , Scott returns to the word of Alien but at an earlier time, one closer to our own.  The film is beautifully done with remarkable sets, special effects, and cinematography.  The actors are capable but one never really engages with them, certainly not like viewers did with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in Alien.   There are many similarities between Alien and Prometheus —a mysterious planet, an android with questionable motives, an evil corporation, a heroine who endures more pain than anyone should have to bear, working class cre...