Meet Michael Fassbender’s Robotic Alter-Ego In ‘Prometheus’
By Russ Fischer/April 17, 2012 7:30 am EST
Now, in a new video, we’re given a far more thorough portrait of David. It’s almost like an old video dating spot meant to tell potential suitors all they might want to know about David’s personality and interests. In fact, because this is modeled as a sales pitch for the ultra-lifelike David android model, the line between advertisement and dating profile is quite thin. There isn’t much difference between ‘client’ and ‘suitor’ when one is shopping for a human replacement, is there?
See the video below.
I love the performance here by Fassbender; as one might have guessed after seeing Shame, he makes quite the perfect android. I also like the suggestion of the ethical and emotional complexity embodied by this sort of invention. Most of us, having seen Scott’s Alien, will watch this spot with the awareness of how a lifelike android can become a terrifically dangerous thing. The memory of Ash’s breakdown is not easy to shake.
And here’s the scary bit: David says he is saddened by “unnecessary violence.” So, er, what constitutes “necessary violence”? And what if his vision of necessary is different from ours?
(Finally, while the 2001 echoes are impossible to miss, is David also meant to remind us of Apple’s Siri app? The way he’s questioned here is so much like the ads touting Siri’s abilities.)
Prometheus opens on June 8.
