PROMETHEUS: SCI FI GREATNESS HAMPERED BY HATERS WHO CAN'T THINK FOR THEMSELVES

Sci-fi is a rarity at the movies these days. I'm not talking about Star Trek, Star Wars or countless other clones just like them. I'm referring to the hard core sci-fi movies like 2001, Soylent Green, and others that demand not only you pay attention but that you think about what you saw afterward. And it is in this category that Prometheus soars above a lot of other terrible films this year.

I will keep this article spoiler free as this movie is one that you should experience for yourself and the issues that arise from it. It is an Alien prequel in many ways and we will leave it at that.

Eighty years from now, two archaeologists, the radiant Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw and her husband Charlie (Logan Marshall Green) find evidence of a star map from various unconnected, ancient civilizations. They convince the Weyland Corporation to fund their expedition and head out into space for a long trip. While asleep, David (Michael Fassbender) the android runs the ship, plays basketball, watches "Lawrence of Arabia" and steals dreams from the sleeping passengers.

Once at the new planet, Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) plays the power card that this expedition is under her command as her company is one the funded everything which does not go over well with the two scientists. A bevy of other scientists and soldiers are red shirt meat for what is down there on the new planet, a fact that is obvious from frame one. You know almost everyone on the ship is alien food at some point so no spoiler there.

Once there, they find a dead race of Engineers, the makers of our race. They all appear dead by some internal explosion that ripped them open. What happened to them is again obvious to anyone who has seen any Alien movie in the past. What follows are questions about God, creationism and the nature of man.

Many are pissed that the film doesn't spell out everything for you, including an intentionally vague ending. But it is these questions that will make you think about them on the ride home and beyond. This is hardcore sci-fi, the first in this series. Alien one was a horror movie, the second an action ride, the third an esoteric look at the stages of death and the fourth an abject disaster. This is sci-fi at it's best and something that is very rare in theaters today. If you like movies that will make you think, this is a doozy. Mind you, some of the characters do incredibly stupid things on occasion but that's usually par for the course in these movies. I highly recommend it regardless.

four stars out of 5

MEN IN BLACK 3: GOOD FILM BUT FALLS TO AVENGER EFFECT

The Avengers will be remembered for two reasons this year. One, the amount of money this behemoth has made and two, how bad it made every other movie look like. Bombs like Battleship, John Carter, Dark Shadows, What to Expect When You're Expecting, the Chernobyl Diaries and, I'm willing to bet, Snow White all suffer from terrible screenplays. The days of studio interference may finally come to an end after this nonstop string of losers. Box office is way down as people have seen the Avengers, gone to another film after and said, loud and clear, "Wow. That sucked moose balls." And then told all their friends that going to see the Avengers again was far better than sitting through drek like Battleship which seemed more like a way to sell toys rather than make a movie.

Unfortunately, even good movies have now been hurt by this trend as people have about had it with spending lots of money to watch utter crap and probably figured that a sequel to a film ten years old would suck. It did not. As a matter of face, it was actually quite good.

Will Smith returns as J along with surly partner K (Tommy Lee Jones). After Boris the Animal, an effective but weakly written villain, escapes from a lunar Super Max, he vows revenge on K, the man who put him there. Going back in time, he kills K and changes the future. J has to go back to 1969 to stop it from happening. K morphs into Josh Brolin who nails his impersonation of Jones to a T. The film flies high in 1969 with a great script, funny scenes, good action and a tremendous ending that helps make sense of the previous two pictures.

The one problem with this film had nothing to do with what was one screen but the price tag to put it there. It was $300 million before advertising meaning this film will have to gross at least $450 million before a dime of profit will be seen. Good luck with that. As the opening weekend wasn't anywhere near the $100 million they were hoping for, and world box office not nearly what they wanted either, this movie will most likely lose money, despite the fact it was actually quite good.

Is it as good as the Avengers? No, not even close. But no film this year will be, except maybe a few hopefuls like the Hobbit, Skyfall and the Dark Knight Rises. And that fact will make a lot of films released this summer fail in comparison because they weren't well written in the first place and without a good screenplay, you have nothing. We have at least three straight years now of substandard movies and Hollywood still hasn't gotten the notion that we would rather have quality than quantity. At least Men in Black 3 was fun, memorable and one of the better films this summer. Considering the crap out there right now, it's this or the Avengers, and wouldn't you rather see something new rather than that for the fifth time? The box office is telling me no, you wouldn't.

Men in Black 3
3 and a half stars out of five.