All in all, just a movie

Rating: 6/10 (14 October 2012)

What I believe to be the quintessential charm of the Alien series is the way it actually portrays human nature without seeming to do so. Yes, these were simply revolutionary monster films. But behind the whole horror theme, unanswerable, yet elegant questions are raised, without ever having to be uttered by any character. We simply take note of the situations and automatically ask ourselves: What if there really are aliens, but they're not the advanced demigods we hope they are? or Is humanity really that disgusting? and much more. These are philosophically valid questions that emerge subtly from what we see on the screen.
"The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien's DNA". I personally thought that what Scott meant was exactly this feeling that I got from watching Alien: that unexpected ideas pop-up without someone putting them into words. It was not the case. All the questions are diligently posed in Prometheus. They are all answerable questions, so they don't frighten the viewer as much. Yet, the answers are not delivered. That is why, from a philosophical and mythological point of view, all this seems superficial, it feels as if someone is trying to trick me into thinking that the film is highly intelligent, when actually it just inherently begs for a sequel.
Disappointing as it is in this department, Prometheus is still a thrilling visual experience.
All in all, just a movie.