The science-fiction thriller Prometheus is streaming on Netflix from today (16 February 2026). The movie follows a crew of a deep-space research vessel as they travel to a distant moon after discovering a mysterious star map hidden in ancient artefacts.
Directed by Ridley Scott, 2012’s Prometheus received an Academy Award nomination for best visual effects and won the Saturn Award for best science fiction film. Scott’s work includes Alien and Blade Runner, as well as historical epics such as Gladiator, which won best picture, and Black Hawk Down, which earned him a best director nomination.
Set in the late 21st century, the Prometheus expedition begins as a scientific mission. However, it quickly shifts into a high-stakes survival story as the team uncovers an abandoned alien structure and encounters biological threats that challenge both their goals and their understanding of life itself. Funded by the Weyland Corporation, the expedition is driven by the belief that a mysterious star map points to humanity’s creators.
The film stars Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw and Michael Fassbender (Magneto in X-Men: First Class) as David, an advanced android whose presence becomes central to the story’s moral and philosophical tension.
Fassbender’s performance as David is often highlighted as one of the film’s defining elements, with the character serving as both a guide and a source of unease as the mission unravels. The cast includes Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, and Benedict Wong.
Prometheus was positioned as a return to the universe Scott helped define with Alien (1979), but it took a different approach from the straightforward horror of the original. While it contains body horror and intense action sequences, the film leans heavily into science-fiction themes around creation, faith, mortality, and corporate ambition. Much of the tension comes from the contrast between the crew’s desire for answers and the consequences of uncovering something they are not prepared to control.
Visually, the film remains a major draw more than a decade after its release. Its production design, large-scale environments, and use of practical effects alongside CGI contributed to its distinctive look, blending sterile futuristic technology with ancient, ominous architecture. The film’s atmosphere is shaped by a sense of discovery that steadily gives way to dread, with Scott’s direction emphasising scale and isolation as the crew moves deeper into unknown territory.
Prometheus proved to be a strong box office performer, earning upwards of $400-million. It sparked widespread and divisive discussion among audiences with some viewers praising the movie’s ambition and visual craft while others criticised character decisions and unanswered plot questions. The debate has continued over time, with the film often discussed as one of the most talked-about franchise-linked science-fiction films of the 2010s.