Now Noomi Rapace is returning to the sci-fi genre with Apple TV+ series Constellation, it’s a good time to recall her last trip to space with a certain 2012 blockbuster. After her breakout turn as Lisbeth Salander in 2009’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Rapace was soon being offered major roles in Hollywood movies. Some of Noomi Rapace’s most notable movies of this period include Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Drop and Netflix’s first blockbuster, Bright. In recent years, the star has jumped back and forth between movies like The Trip and shows such as Jack Ryan.
Rapace’s sci-fi series Constellation sees the actor return to the genre for the first time since What Happened to Monday. The new Apple TV+ show casts her as astronaut Jo, who after surviving a disaster in space, returns to Earth. This is where the story takes a turn for the surreal, as the details of her life are all wrong, and reality starts to merge with fantasy. Thus far, Constellation is attracting mixed reviews, though Rapace’s performance is (predictably) receiving praise.
Constellation Is A Reminder To Watch Noomi Rapace In 2012’s Prometheus
Prometheus
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Release Date
- June 8, 2012
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
- Franchise(s)
- Alien
Constellation is drawing comparisons to Rapace’s Alien prequel Prometheus, and for good reason. This was one of the most anticipated sci-fi movies of the 21st century, and in addition to a cast that included Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba, it marked Ridley Scott’s return to Alien for the first time since the original. Prometheus received mixed reviews and continues to inspire debate over 12 years on. For some, it’s an ambitious, beautifully crafted meditation on mankind’s place in the cosmos.
For others, Prometheus is a bloated mess with unlikable protagonists and a patchy story. Rapace grounds the entire movie as Shaw, who comes to a distant planet hoping to learn of humanity’s origins, only to discover mankind’s creators aren’t big fans of what they created. Prometheus‘ ending seemed to promise Shaw would become the new lead of the series, only for Rapace’s character to get killed offscreen before the events of 2017 sequel Alien: Covenant.
7 Reasons Reviews For Apple’s First New Sci-Fi Show Since Silo Are Mixed
Constellation’s early reviews are in, with both criticism and praise directed at the newest Apple TV+ newest science fiction series since Silo.
Prometheus grossed over $403 million in 2012 (via Box Office Mojo), and the film has developed some defenders over the years. It stands out among the Alien movie franchise for its near-complete absence of Xenomorphs, and for being an R-rated blockbuster that dares to ask some big questions.
Constellation Has Aspects In Common With Prometheus
Constellation’s promotional trailer and images of Noomi Rapace in a spacesuit looking scared can’t help but call to mind Prometheus, but the two are fairly distinct from one another. That said, they both deal with themes of cosmic horror and existential dread. Rapace plays another space explorer who must confront motherhood anxieties; in Constellation she’s dealing with a young daughter who may be a doppelganger, while in Prometheus, Rapace’s character famously gave birth to an alien creature. Even though she rejects the latter, the beast later ends up saving her life.
Constellation has a trippier, more surreal tone than Prometheus, however, and mostly takes place on Earth instead of an alien planet. Still, after the injustice of Rapace being dropped from Covenant, it’s great to see her back in a new sci-fi tale, and one that puts her front and center.
Constellation
- Cast
- Noomi Rapace , Jonathan Banks , James D’Arcy , Lenn Kudrjawizki , William Catlett , barbara sukowa , Carole Weyers
- Release Date
- February 21, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Apple TV+
