Marketing vs. Sci-Fi

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2017)

Did you miss it at the cinema and are now thinking about buying a digital version? If I were you, I'd wait for a sale. The film has been slated by some as the worst Alien movie ever. Nonsense. A team of professional movie makers with a solid budget behind are not likely to come up with complete trash. And yet, the unyielding feeling of wasted potential is certain to stay with you throughout the viewing.
It seems as if Sir Ridley and Co were forced to pack two movies under one wrapper. The first is a decent sci-fi flick exploring both the universe and mankind. It has wonderful visuals, attention to detail, a soundtrack that is reminiscent of classic sci-fi films. This movie deals with the questions of creation, freedom, even faith. But then marketing researchers step in and say, "Hey, the audience didn't like the absence of the xenomorph in Prometheus. Let's show it! No, let's show them some new species, too! And how about using averagely intelligent colonists as cannon fodder? It always works! The viewers also wanted to know more about the Engineers. Let's show their planet and its inhabitants! Oh, it doesn't go along with the atmosphere of the movie and we don't have the budget for it? Then we'll wrap it up in 2 minutes of heartless CGI. And don't forget to answer the question where these aliens came from. The focus groups indicate that it's crucial to the series!"
And so the story gets predictable, the alien is not scary and totally inapt, and the main character is a big-headed rogue android. Bravo! I am grateful for that sci-fi feel that the movie tried to deliver, but I wish Sir Ridley had plucked the courage to make something more coherent and fresh.