A triple Meh on the Meh-index. (Spoilers)

Rating: 6/10 (22 May 2017)

I suppose some elements of this review could be considered "spoilers" (although I'd argue the contrary) but to be safe, let's say there are.
Promised a reveal of the further saga of Elizabeth Shaw and the android David, we are only served a minor throwaway explanation of Shaw's fate; one that reminiscently stank of the similar demise of Corp. Hicks and Newt in Alien 3 the worst installment of the franchise – well – perhaps second worst after AVP.
Essentially an attrition movie like many before. Load X-amount of humans into a scenario and watch them subsequently bite the dust, one-by-one to the last person(s) standing – i.e. Ripley, Shaw, and in this case ----?
My hope was that we film-goers would get an explanatory glimpse into the Engineers and their world Find out specifically what their beef with us was, and view how we (humanity) would respond to the reality of this; Meeting makers that were so unhappy with their work (us) they contrive a cosmic/bio-scientific "delete" button. No, instead we get a parable on technology run amok because it's too much like its creator. Robots acting on the worst of Human characteristics. Blade Runner meets Alien. Ridley Scott, normally my idea of a tremendous director/filmmaker, seems caught in a repetitive tape loop with this concept – but it's a story he never seems to completely explain in any of his films. It's almost hard to believe he signed-off on this.
There were also reports that this film would bring us full circle - back to the story behind the ship that the Nostromo's crew investigated in 1979 - or maybe even to the tale of the ill-fated colonists (i.e. Newt & her family) from 1986's Aliens. If there IS a tie-up to that fencepost, it is profoundly veiled and speculative.
The most interesting element, David's Ozymandias moment, is skimmed over like ancillary minutia and tossed into the "well-yeah-that- happened-too" bag – an annoyingly wasted opportunity.
A shame – there was so much potential here. I'd almost say Prometheus was better – though it certainly did not set a very high bar.
I now hope the Untitled Neill Blomkamp/Alien Project gains some traction. I'd hate to see the franchise end on this note.
Not saying this is a horrible movie, but "anticlimactic" might be accurate.