An unnecessary expansion to the Alien universe

Rating: 6/10 (23 May 2017)

After the colossal embarrassment know as Alien Resurrection, the chugging narrative of the Alien films has finally been demolished. It seems that Scott had recognized this, and decided to take the reigns of his franchise once again, but this time, he's taking us back to even before the events of his 1979 masterpiece. While the film is noticeably ambitious, through both it's complex narrative and visionary science-fiction setting, Prometheus only manages to be a filler chapter in a saga that repeatedly makes unnecessary additions to it's continuously expanding mythos, never really earning justification for it's own existence.
Even if Prometheus is merely filler for the franchise, it's visually impressive filler. The obvious architectural borrowings from the original Alien film add a tasteful amount of nostalgia that will undoubtedly excite fans. The massive extraterrestrial catacombs engulf any signs of life as our human characters venture further into the bio-mechanical labyrinth. In the first couple of shots, Scott let's the audience know that he hasn't lost a touch of his technical prowess, however, the uninteresting narrative and characters does raise questions about his storytelling skills.
The crew of the Prometheus are, for the most part, paper-thin. Despite their utter lack of development or depth, Scott seemingly expects us to care for them when they unsurprisingly meet their demise. Noomi Rapace does give a good performance as Elizabeth Shaw, along with Fassbender as the synthetic David, and their chemistry showcased in the final act of the film could be compelling if continued.
The overall plot is rarely compelling as it is stupid. Prometheus features possibly the most inept scientists ever put to screen. Their bafflingly stupid decisions are laughable and broke the gloomy tone of the film on multiple occasions. It does feature some tense scenes as well as a satisfying final act, but too many questions are left unanswered to make the film satisfying as a whole. This film was created to explain who the engineers were and how they fit into the Alien universe, but sadly the film asks more questions than it answers, making for an ultimately frustrating final product.
Prometheus is a gorgeous piece of sci-fi from one of the best directors of the genre, and while it is admittedly above average, it still falls flat when it comes to delivering compelling or cohesive backstory to Alien (1979). We have a few interesting characters, a slow building sense of tension and unexpected small bursts of violence, and while all of these aspects should result in an enticing sci-fi horror, even the best aspects of Prometheus don't look too great alongside an uninteresting and frustratingly illusive plot.