In the cinema, no one can hear you scream... Because of that OTT background orchestral music!

Rating: 7/10 (6 June 2012)

A lot of negativity associated with this film comes from the fact that it is nowhere near as good as the first Alien, but people have to realise that this isn't really part of the main series. It's completely separate. What are we given here? A detailed and well thought out view, maybe a little confusing in parts, of the origins of the infamous alien species.
The basic story follows a group of scientists travelling to where the action takes place in Alien and Aliens; as they try to discover clues to the origins of mankind. The casting is a little hit and miss, but Michael Fassbender's android called David is very creepy and disturbing, and easily steels the show.
The technology Ridley Scott missed out on in the 70's has been dished out aplenty here; one wonders what the original Alien would be like if it got remade. This is the beauty of Scott's idea for Prometheus: to never repeat but to simply make us aware and to keep the alien presence is a mere afterthought. This is not a remake nor sequel but something completely original which works really well.
Despite the very loud annoying background score which takes away a lot of the potential shocks, there is still plenty of tension, and of course the ever present themes of body horror and giving birth, such key factors to the original films are portrayed in one grisly standalone scene which exploits these themes.
The less you think of the original series the more you'll enjoy this. Yes, the hype was over the top and sadly you may walk out of this film thinking what all the fuss was about. It is without a doubt a brilliant piece of film-making, the cinematography is greatly executed, and despite feeling a little jumbled in parts, it's visually stunning, and simply an exhilarating cinematic experience - and yes, they even leave it open for another film, a sort of sequel to the prequel...
The last few scenes have subtle references to the opening scenes of the first Alien film, and will no doubt wet your appetite to re-visit the original; which is exactly what I did. Ridley Scott once again shines here. 7/10.