30 years after making his last science fiction movie, Ridley Scott returns to the genre with ! A prequel to Alien, the hype behind this movie was at an all time high just before it’s release. A tall hill to climb for any filmmaker, most seem pretty disappointed.

I liked it. It’s definably not as good as I (and everyone) hoped, but after watching and reading about online, it’s clear that a lot was cut out. The first 2/3 are very strong it’s the last act where a lot of the logic of the story swerves around and the guess work seems to take hold. With the heritage of the Alien franchise (the original and the first sequel are cinema classics) at it’s genesis in this movie, it didn’t answer a whole lot and that bugs a lot of people. The set up is great and easy to understand. In the not too distant future, archeologists find some evidence of a civilization that points them to explore the stars in search of answers. It might even be an invitation. Hop on board the Prometheus along with the crew, it’s going to be a promising trip! Cue the horror show! That’s all great. The buildup to the panic is great too. It’s interesting, engadging and you’re always wondering what is just around the corner.

The pacing of the movie seems a little off. You find yourself watching on uneasy footing but the set up and follow through don’t work well enough in the end so instead of an lasting adrenalin rush, you’re left feeling way more confused than you ever should be. There’s really weird character behavior too. The part that really bugged me was after an emergency procedure, Shaw doesn’t even try to tell anyone about what happened to her. The set up from a crew mate, and the seriousproblem that is developing at an alarming rate. All stuff you’d be screaming at to anyone you saw. She’s practically crawling down hallways, sweating like a maniac for the rest of the movie and no one bats an eye at her.

This all sounds really negative, but I did enjoy the movie. It just had surprising problems. On a technical level, Prometheus is a masterpiece. It’s one of the best looking movies ever made, the visuals of direction and production design coupled with the best special effects in the business is a site to behold. Quality acting too, even if some actors (Idris Elba) are underused (Michael Fastbender is absolute tops and I liked Noomi Rapace a lot).

Each movie in the Alien franchise is very different, Prometheus continues (or starts it, if you take the story timeline into account) that linage. I think this movie will ultimately be remembered fondly. I’m looking forward to seeing it again to see the stuff I missed, there’s a lot to take in and digest. The home release should be packed with extras.