2012年上映的《普罗米修斯》（Prometheus）是美国系列科幻恐怖片《异形》（Alien）的前传，由里德利·斯科特（Ridley Scott）导演、乔恩·斯派茨（Jon Spaihts）和戴蒙·林德洛夫（Damon Lindelof）编剧。与以前几部《异形》强调恐怖因素而非科幻逻辑不同，这一部《普罗米修斯》的科幻因素是主线，也探讨了更多其他的哲学问题，如：谁创造了人类？人是从哪里来的？要到哪里去？生命的目的和本质是什么？人与机器人的关系是什么？《普罗米修斯》的核心议题是人类的好奇心和科学探索最终可能会毁灭自己（The search for our beginning could lead to our end. 或者说：They went looking for our beginning. What they found could be our end.）。《普罗米修斯》上映之后获得较大成功，全球票房超过四亿美元，并获得奥斯卡最佳特效奖。

一、故事情节

　　“普罗米修斯号”是以希腊神话中的巨人普罗米修斯（Titan Prometheus）命名的一艘太空飞船，由韦兰公司（Weyland Corporation）建造，该公司的口号是“建造更好的世界”（Building Better Worlds）。因为一对科学家伊丽莎白·肖（Elizabeth Shaw）和查利·霍洛韦（Charlie Holloway）在苏格兰发现了外星球上可能存在的包含地球人类起源线索的星际图系，年事已高的韦兰公司总裁彼得·韦兰（Peter Weyland）雇用了一队科学家乘该公司建造的“普罗米修斯号”飞往外太空去探索人类起源的奥秘，并由这两位科学家率领。
　　In the year 2093， after discovering evidence of yet another ancient star map in a cave on the Isle of Skye in Scotland， a team of scientific explorers， led by archeologists Elizabeth Shaw （Noomi Rapace饰） and Charlie Holloway （Logan Marshall-Green饰）， secure funding from the aging CEO of the Weyland Corporation， Peter Weyland （Guy Pearce饰）， and journey on the spaceship Prometheus to the distant moon of LV-223 located 34.6 light-years from Earth， hoping to find the answers to humanity’s origins. What they find convinces them that they have found the answers to human life， but what they learn also could lead to its extinction.
　　在飞往目的地的途中，屏幕上播放着彼得·韦兰预先录制的视频，讲述此次太空探索的意义以及人类与机器人之间的区别。机器人虽然能做许多人类不能做的事情，但却没有灵魂，不具备人类复杂的情感，没有生老病死。希腊神话传说中的巨人普罗米修斯为使人类能抗衡诸神而盗取天火给人类，使他们能够进化和发展，却因此被赶出奥林匹斯山，每日遭到老鹰的啄食。韦兰认为，“普罗米修斯号”的使命就是探索人类起源的秘密，尤其是寻求长生不老的药方，相当于普罗米修斯盗取天火给人类，使人类取得和神平起平坐的资格（即掌握创造并延续生命的秘密）。
　　“Hello， friends. My name is Peter Weyland. I am your employer. I am recording this 22 June 2091—and if you are watching it， you have reached your destination， and I am long dead. May I rest in peace. There is a man sitting with you today—his name is David—he is the closest thing to a son I will ever have. Unfortunately he is not human. He will never grow old and he will never die—and yet he is unable to appreciate these remarkable gifts（天赋，才能）， for that would require the one thing that David will never have： a soul. I have spent my entire lifetime contemplating the questions ‘Where do we come from—what is our purpose—what happens when we die？’And I have finally found two people who have convinced me they’re on the verge of answering them： Doctors Holloway and Shaw—if you would please stand. As far as you’re concerned， they’re both in charge（掌管，领导）. The Titan Prometheus wanted to give mankind equal footing（平等地位）with the gods—for that he was cast from Olympus. Well， my friends， the time has finally come for his return.” 　　In the ship， Shaw and medic（医生）Ford （Kate Dickie饰） analyze the Engineer’s head， removing a heavy helmet with David’s help. They discover that its DNA is identical to that of the human race. Using an electrified needle， they bring the head temporarily back to life. However， exposure to the breathable atmosphere， causes the severed（斩首的）Engineer’s head to decompose（分解，腐烂）rapidly and it disintegrates（分解）. Later， David investigates the cylinder and discovers several ampoules（小瓶）containing a viscous（黏稠的）black fluid. The crew of Prometheus discuss the meaning of life， the android David questions why he was created by man and Shaw questions her own existence as she is infertile（不孕的）and unable to create life. David intentionally infects（使感染）Holloway with the substance he found within the ampoule， hiding it in a drop of liquid on his finger and briefly dipping it into a glass of champagne Holloway drinks to celebrate their discovery. Later， Shaw and the infected Holloway have sex. Holloway later looks in a mirror and sees his eyes are changing； they are rheumy（紅肿流泪的）and he sees a small， silver worm-like organism emerge from one of his corneas（角膜）.
　　在外星人建筑内，滞留的两名科学家看到一种蛇形怪物从圆柱形物体泄露的黑液中显形，它们以其不可思议的能力将二人残忍地杀死。
　　Back inside the structure， Fifield and Milburn see a strange， snake-like creature emerge from a pool of the black fluid that has leaked from the cylinders. When Milburn tries to examine the creature， it quickly grabs his hand and wraps itself around his arm， breaking it in a matter of seconds. When Fifield tries to cut it off， a corrosive（腐蚀性的）fluid （yellow acidic blood） from one of the creatures melts Fifield’s helmet， exposing him to the dark liquid leaking from the cylinders. The creature then works its way into his suit and forces itself down his throat.
　　第二天早晨风暴过后，科考队又回到外星人建筑里，发现了米尔本的尸体。戴维在一个房间里发现了一个处于休眠状态的“工程师”以及显示好几个遥远行星系统的全息星际图，而其中一个行星就是地球。
　　The next morning after the storm subsides（平息，消退）， the Prometheus crew returns to the structure and finds Milburn’s corpse. David discovers a room containing a holographic star map highlighting several distant planetary systems. He watches as holograms of the Engineers activate a navigational system. One of the planets that eventually appears is Earth. Suddenly the system shuts down， leaving the hologram of Earth behind. David also finds a single Engineer in a nearby stasis pod（分离舱）and can hear its heart beating.
　　霍洛韦的感染迅速扩大，不得不被紧急送回飞船。但维克斯引用检疫条例禁止他上船，并在其乞求下用火焰喷射器将身体变形严重的霍洛韦烧死。肖则心急如焚，精神崩溃。回到飞船后，在对肖进行身体检查时，戴维发现患有不孕症的肖竟然怀孕了。戴维试图将肖制服，让她进入休眠状态，但肖逃脱了。她进入自动外科手术室，忍着剧痛，将不断增长的怪物胎儿取出，将其关在手术室，自己则逃了出来。 　　Holloway’s infection rapidly ravages（损坏，毁坏）his body， and he is rushed back to the ship. As he visibly deteriorates， Vickers refuses to let him aboard， citing quarantine protocols（检疫规定）. When he approaches Vickers， begging her to kill him， she burns him to death with a flamethrower（火焰喷射器）. Shaw is devastated（极度震惊的）. A medical scan reveals that Shaw， despite being sterile（不能生育的）， is pregnant. David subdues（制服，控制）her in order to return her to Earth in stasis. She escapes and uses an automated medical surgery pod in Vickers’ quarters to extract a horrific cephalopod-like（像章魚类的头足动物的）creature from her abdomen（腹部）while she is still conscious.

　　就在此刻，彼得·韦兰出现了。原来，他一直在飞船上，试图借助创造人类的“工程师”们来延续他日益衰老的生命。根据科考队的发现，船长雅内克得出结论：他们所着陆的月球曾被“工程师”们用作军事基地，直到他们对制作出来的生物武器（即含有黑色液体的圆柱形物体）失去了控制。剩下的所有科考队成员，包括寻求长生不老药方的韦兰，一起来到外星人建筑物，唤醒那个休眠状态的“工程师”。这时他们才发现，这所外星人建筑是一艘巨型飞船，而这位“工程师”正是飞船的驾驶员。
　　Weyland is found to have been in stasis aboard the ship， and it’s revealed that Vickers is his daughter. Weyland explains to Shaw that he intends to ask the Engineers to help him avoid his impending（即将来临的）death. Janek theorizes that the moon they are on was used by the Engineers as a military base until they lost control of their biological weapons， namely the cylinders and the black fluid they contain. The remaining crew return to the structure and awaken the Engineer， who is occupying what is discovered to be a space ship.
　　戴维用外星语问“工程师”为什么创造人类，并请求工程师延长其创造者韦兰先生的寿命。工程师却愤怒地扯下了戴维的脑袋，并将韦兰杀死。他随后启动了飞船，肖赶紧逃命。尽管脑体分离，头脑并未受损的戴维认为，工程师即将驾驶巨大飞船去地球释放黑色毒液，毁灭地球上的一切生物。维克斯命令雅内克立即返航回地球，但肖说服他们首先要阻止工程师飞船的起飞。别无选择的雅内克只好驾驶普罗米修斯号飞船撞毁了工程师飞船。侥幸从巨大撞击中逃脱的肖回到救生舱取给养，却发现自己生出的怪胎长成了一个巨大的章鱼似的怪物。这时，逃过飞船撞击的工程师也来到救生舱，却被怪物无情地杀死了。
　　David speaks an alien language to the Engineer， asking him why they made mankind and asking him to extend the life of his own creator， Mr. Weyland. The Engineer responds by ripping（撕破，扯开）his head out and killing Weyland. Shaw escapes from the alien ship as it is activated by the Engineer. The still-active David suggests the Engineer is going to release the ampoules of black fluid on Earth， thus killing every living creature in the planet. Vickers orders Janek to return to Earth， but Shaw convinces him to stop the Engineer’s ship. Janek and his two surviving crewmen take off and crash the Prometheus into the Engineer’s ship. Shaw barely escapes being crushed herself. She goes to the escape pod to retrieve supplies and finds that her abortedbut-still-alive alien offspring has grown to gigantic size. The Engineer survives the crash， enters the escape pod and attacks Shaw， who releases the tentacled（长着触角的）creature. It subdues the Engineer by thrusting an ovipositor（产卵器）down its throat. 　　Elizabeth Shaw： Why？
　　David： Sometimes to create， one must first destroy.
　　Are Humans Supposed to Be Immortal （by Their Creators）？
　　Meredith Vickers： If you’re really going down there， you’re going to die.
　　Peter Weyland： Very negative way of looking at things. Exactly why you should have stayed at home.
　　Meredith Vickers： Did you really think I was gonna sit in a boardroom for years arguing over who was in charge while you go look for some miracle on some godforsaken（偏僻的，冷落的）rock in the middle of space？ A king has his reign（任期）， and then he dies. It’s inevitable. That is natural order of things.
　　I Want to Know Why They Created Us then Wanted to Kill Us
　　Elizabeth Shaw： I don’t want go to back to where we came from. I want to go where they came from. You think you can do that， David？
　　David： Yes， I believe I can. … May I ask what you hope to achieve by going there？
　　Elizabeth Shaw： They created us. Then they tried to kill us. They changed their minds. I deserve to know why.
　　David： The answer is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter why they changed their minds.
　　Elizabeth Shaw： Yes—yes， it does.
　　David： I don’t understand.
　　Elizabeth Shaw： Well… I guess that’s because I’m a human being， and you’re a robot.
　　Last Lines—Still Searching
　　Elizabeth Shaw： Final report of the vessel（飛船）Prometheus. The ship and her entire crew are gone. If you’re receiving this transmission， make no attempt to come to its point of origin. There is only death here now， and I’m leaving it behind. It is New Year’s Day， the year of our Lord（指耶稣纪年，也就是公历）， 2094. My name is Elisabeth Shaw， last survivor of the Prometheus. And I am still searching.