Not everything I'd hoped, but enjoyable... and actually worth seeing in 3D!

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2012)

I went into this IMAX screening with fairly high expectations; some of them were even met. Prometheus is not everything I had hoped, and probably not "the next wave in sci-fi" - it glossed over a little too much story, tried to cram a little too much in, there was perhaps a little more gore than I needed... it even called on a few hackneyed tension-building tropes: when running from a big rolling thing, WHY don't characters ever just run to the side? That's just one step above "don't go in the basement when the lights have mysteriously gone out!"
But all in all, there are some excellent and intriguing concepts here, the cinematography stunning, and I am quite glad I saw it on the very large IMAX screen.
Full disclosure: on the whole I HATE the trend towards 3D in film. It seems wasteful and pointless and not well implemented and all in all nothing more than a ploy to find a way to make people pay more for tickets and need new hardware at home. But Prometheus really, benefited from its lovely and judicious use. Few "aliens jumping at your face" here, mostly it just completed the virtual space - crucial in this film - and enhanced the sense of grandeur of the massive alien environments.
I love BIG CONCEPT sci-fi - and what Prometheus does, in my opinion, is demonstrate to a new level just how big and how alien a concept we can faithfully and beautifully render in a motion picture these days. Partly thanks to the 3D and the sheer size of the IMAX screen, I felt more immersed in the world of Prometheus than any since Avatar (the comparisons are clear). But where Avatar was lush and bright, Prometheus mostly plays on the same grim palettes used in the original Alien, making it feel, if possible, more "natural" and believable. As was probably first proved in "Lord of the Rings" - and even mores now - the technology has finally gotten to the point where we can actually begin to step inside the dreams of these writers and see them realized as they were initially envisioned. When the plot, dialogue, pacing, script adaptation, acting, directing and technical prowess keep up, it makes for an exciting era for sci-fi fans.
As an aside, there is a lot to look and and think about in this film, but what sticks with me more than anything else is the opening sequence, even before the titles. Strong, striking, BIG concept, which I won't reveal here - just cool.
Overall the design is gorgeous (there might even have been a few usability people on staff to deal with some of the alien interfaces), the scope awesome, the visuals stunning. The science, however, seemed a little light and under-considered at times. I can suspend my disbelief with the best of 'em when I want to, but so many aspects of this movie seemed so well thought out that when, for example, the rube scientist pulls his helmet off inside the alien artifact (breathable atmosphere, but how about alien contagions?), it seems more than anything like they were just trying to save time.
One thing I will say for the IMAX experience it's LOUD. Like, almost overwhelmingly, painfully loud, particularly during the previews. I know they want to put you in the action, but please. An overall 6-9dB volume reduction would be welcome.
There are a few things left unexplained, things I hope they will handle in the sequel, which is clearly at least in the consideration stages. And to dispel any confusion, Prometheus is clearly related to Alien, and yes, clearly sets up a sequel... and I'm OK with all of that. If this is the kind of thing you like and you plan to see it, it is worth seeing big.