The Vatican On Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus’: Film ‘Mishandles Delicate Questions’

Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel (do not challenge me on this) Prometheus received a fairly lukewarm response across the board, and now the film can add one more displeased viewer to the list: God.

The Vatican’s official newspaper has officially attacked the film, cementing its place among other damned films like The Da Vinci Code and Avatar. The paper’s criticism is summed up as “[it’s] a bad idea to defy the gods,” (wait, gods?) the general opinion being that the film irresponsibly plays with questions that we as human beings ought not ask.

The science fiction thriller — starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Charlize Theron — tells a story about a team of explorers seeking to understand the origins of mankind on earth after discovering a series of clues left behind by ancient civilizations.

L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper, said that Prometheus “mishandles the delicate questions raised by … the battle eternal between good and evil in yet another attempt to steak the secret of immortality.” The holy rag also opines that “the journey of Prometheus should instead symbolize the search for the supernatural,” instead of opting for a scientific explanation that upsets most world religions.

The Vatican paper doesn’t hate all films though. It was quite taken with Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, Jesus of Nazareth from Franco Zeffirelli, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ, Victor Flemming’s Joan of Arc and It’s a Wonderful Life from Frank Capra. Do I need to tell you what they all have in common?

Other Prometheus-related news: We reported last week that the film is available ahead of its hard-copy release through digital retailers, so go get it if you want it! That is all.