Fassbender’s David is the film’s centerpiece. Rapace plays the Hollywood girlfriend role instead of a steely protagonist on a messianic journey. Theron always commits fully to every character she plays.
As Seinfeld said: “Not that there is anything wrong with that.” In fact, in Blade Runner and Gladiator the scenes are powerful, memorable, and drive the film.
Meredith Vickers: “A king has his reign, and then he dies. It’s inevitable.”
The billion dollar project is being financed by ancient Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce). He has died but appears in a hologram addressing the crew after they emerge from hyper-sleep. Laying out their project’s goals, he introduces the crew to David, who is like a son to him. David is a robot.
“Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow.”
(Video conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott.) http://blog.ted.com/TED2023/
But that was 2023. It is now 2093.
“Good morning. I am Meredith Vickers, and it is my job to make sure you do yours.”
And then there is David (Michael Fassbender), a brilliant robot who has modelled himself on Peter O’Toole’s performance in Lawrence of Arabia. (So humans can relate to him.)
After landing on the planet, they see a group of straight lines and know that intelligent life must be responsible. As one crew member says: “God doesn’t do straight lines.”
David is the most fascinating character in the film and Fassbender is terrific. It is a difficult role – he has to play an android learning about humans and how to relate to them. Fassbender must be inquisitive without looking like an awe struck man-child. As a trusted “son” by Weyland, why does he behave the way he does? If not Weyland’s directive guiding him, whose agenda is he following?
Why were humans invited to the planet? What happened to the race of intelligent beings who lived there and came to Earth to leave clues? Were we a failed experiment and the time has come for someone to “trim the herd”?
Victoria Alexander is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association: www.bfca.org/ and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society: www.lvfcs.org/. Victoria’s weekly column, “The Devil’s Hammer,” is posted every Monday. http://www.fromthebalcony.com/editorials.php.
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