Prospect
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Prospect
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Prospect is a low-budget sci-fi movie with moments of bloody violence, including death, and occasional strong language. The movie centers on teenager Cee (Sophie Thatcher) and a prospector called Ezra (Pedro Pascal), as they attempt to survive and flee an alien moon with a hostile atmosphere. The movie's survivalist story provides its positive messages. For example, Cee and Ezra must work together despite not initially trusting one another. Cee is the movie's moral center but Ezra slowly shows himself to be more compassionate as he changes over time. Other characters are mercenary and selfish. The dangerous environment of the alien world mean violence and peril are never far away. Various confrontations result in death, as characters often attempt to rob one another as a means of survival. There is some blood but little gore, although in one scene a character's limb must be removed because of injury. A group of men discuss enslaving a woman to help repopulate their community. Swearing is present on a couple of occasions, including use of "f--k" and "c--k."
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What's the Story?
PROSPECT follows a teen girl, Cee (Sophie Thatcher), and a ruthless prospector, Ezra (Pedro Pascal), who are thrown together to form an unlikely team that must navigate the perils of an alien moon.
Is It Any Good?
After a slow start, this sci-fi adventure establishes itself as a modest but lovingly crafted "Western in space." Though her central character feels underdeveloped, Thatcher does a decent job of carrying Prospect, as Cee tries to survive an alien moon with harmful spores in its air and dangerous inhabitants threatening do one or more of kill, rob, or enslave her. Along with a sparse but convincing backdrop, Pascal's performance is another of the movie's strengths. He seems to relish delivering Ezra's wordy, rhythmic dialogue alongside Thatcher.
Together the two leads keep things watchable, despite the movie not always having enough plot to sustain Cee and Ezra's journey. The technical limitations of the filmmakers and their budgets are laid bare with a final action sequence that never really fights its way out of muddled and murky lighting and camera work. But Prospect is far from a cinematic failure. It's a decent interplanetary escape story given a boost by a small but stellar cast.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Prospect. How did it make you feel? Did it glorify it? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
The movie was made on a relatively low-budget. How did it compare to other sci-fi movies you may have seen? What were the main differences?
Talk about some of the language used in the movie. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
Talk about Cee's relationship with Ezra. How did he change over the course of the movie and how did that impact their relationship?
What were some of the motivations of the characters? Did you sympathize with any of them? If so, who and why?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 2, 2018
- On DVD or streaming: March 8, 2019
- Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Pedro Pascal, Jay Duplass
- Directors: Christopher Caldwell, Zeek Earl
- Studio: Gunpowder & Sky
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Adventures, Space and Aliens
- Character Strengths: Courage, Teamwork
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: some violence/bloody images
- Last updated: July 18, 2022
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Excellent space thriller mixes peril, charm, real science.
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Intense, astonishing sci-fi thriller has real soul.
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Edge of Tomorrow
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