Prometheus

I think this serves as a pretty decent stand alone sci fi. I like quite a lot about this movie. The cast is good. Noomi Rapace in particular is very good.

I like the idea of the engineers, I like the idea of the black goo, I mostly like the idea that this all spawns the xenomorphs we know and love but I don't really understand why.

Not everything needs an origin story and I preferred Alien when we just thought they were out there somewhere. I don't think we needed an origin/backstory/genesis story.

Take out the final scenes which, if I'm honest, felt a little forced, and Prometheus would still have been a fairly decent sci fi.

And most notably, Prometheus does teach us not to run in a straight line.

Don't get me wrong. It's gorgeous to look at, and I'm definitely going to go and see it again. It's really impressive.

But... It's stuffed with scenes without any payoff. Again and again it sets stuff up and then just... walks away from it.

In at least one unforgivably stupid scene, someone *literally* just walks away from an antagonist and leaves it there. And then doesn't tell anyone about it. Some of it's really effective. There are some scenes that are absolutely gripping. But so much of it doesn't make any sense...

Having said all that I think it's very clear that what I just saw was Prometheus part 1. It's very definitely supposed to have a sequel and I will certainly go to see the sequel. I think both movies taken together might score a 10.

But this movie by itself doesn't.

It's good to see that Ridley Scott still has the same vision for stylistic sets and atmospheric lighting.Lots of dripping water and eery shadows as one might expect from the old master. The special effects are impressive, the CGI is great, the technology is plausible for the turn of the next century. But - and I'm afraid it's a big but - the plot is disjointed, the characters two dimensional and the script is, well, not the best. Far too many things happen which simply make no sense at all, or just don't tally with "what we know already" about the Alien universe. Far too many plot mechanisms, bits of tech and even shots and scenes are borrowed from other films - Serenity, independence day, The Mummy, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Pitch Black, X- Files. I won't go into detail because I can't do that without using spoilers, but try it yourself. Watch the film and see how many ripped off bits you can spot. Spectacular, yes. A great film? No. sadly not.

Prometheus is one of the most underrated and misunderstood science fiction movies in recent memory. Do NOT view this as a prequel to Alien. It is part of the same universe, but while the first 4 are action/horror films, Prometheus is a sci-fi adventure that explores the origins of mankind. This concept is something I've always wanted to see put to screen, and Prometheus delivers so well that I'm enthralled by it no matter how many times I watch it. The cinematography and score are Oscar worthy, and the direction and visuals are near perfect. I believe Prometheus would be much higher rated if more people went into it with an open mind. The first Alien did have mixed reviews upon initial release, and now it is an all time classic. I really think that one day Prometheus will have the same status, and I hope the sequels are more appreciated.

I just rewatched Prometheus after watching previously the four Alien movies and I enjoyed more than the first time. The reason is because the extended version of 2 hours 31 minutes it's far better that the theatrical cut. More answers are shown and overall the movie script is better. So, if you want to give it a second chance to this, go for it. You won't regret.