Horror sci fi done right, incredibly ambitious

Rating: Null/10 (10 June 2012)

Prometheus has been my most anticipated for a while. The reviews were disappointing, to say the least, but also incredibly intriguing. Was it actually a prequel to Alien? Well, it shares certain elements to Alien, and I won't say more.
The problem stems from the way people wanted, or expected, this to be like Alien. It's not, at all. It doesn't have the slow pace Alien had, or the slow-building suspense and atmosphere. Instead, it does quite a few things. I would be lying if I said the film didn't seem overpacked with story lines and ideas. As it goes on, one is able to see just how much the filmmakers were trying to do here. Yet it all works. I have heard people criticize the script, the characters and dialogue especially. I was surprised that I didn't find any serious problems with those aspects. Many of the minor characters don't get much to do, but I found myself incredibly captivated by some of the more important ones, specifically Fassbender and Theron's. Both give two great performance here, and they make their scenes all the more exciting because there's so much intrigue and mystery surrounding their motivations.
The main flaw I would point out would actually be the editing. Although fantastic at times, the middle section of the film feels overstuffed. Perhaps better editing would have made it feel seamless and would have paced those scenes better. And, I am happy to say, the film has it's fair share of incredible excitement. There's several amazing moments here, and I am happy to say although it isn't the type of horror film Alien was, it still has its good amount of freak-out horrifying moments. Not incredibly scary, but still extremely disturbing and definitely had me on the edge of my seat.
For all of the reviews I have read, I am rather surprised by what the film actually was. Ever since seeing the trailer I wanted a suspenseful, extremely well-directed, slow-building sci-fi horror. What the film actually is is an incredibly intriguing, fast-paced, sci-fi/horror mystery. It's not as simple as Alien in its narrative and storyline, or as moody, but still a great film nonetheless that, while flawed, is a roller-coaster ride no doubt. I loved it, and for that I am glad.