Sadly, a Disappointing Film.

Rating: 4/10 (8 June 2012)

*****Contains spoilers****** I've never done a review before, but I just need to get this out my system. Hopefully it will strike a chord with other peoples experiences. Wow, what a disappointment. I didn't read any reviews so as not spoil/influence me as I like to make my own mind up, and this was extremely disappointing. I had however read that links to the original Alien film had become more distant as production went on, so I approached it as a separate entity.
As is seemingly becoming the norm over the last few years, building a character into someone you have empathy for, or indeed dislike, is a dying art. Having someone as the 'star' of the film, doesn't mean I care what happens to a character one way or the other. Noomi Rapace doesn't seem to have the largest emotional range or expressive face either, in this film at least. I haven't seen her in anything else.
Again, also becoming the norm, characters don't do things as you would expect in the most simple of situations. 'Don't touch it', a simple command that loses the surprise of someone being stupid enough to touch something, because they all go around touching things they shouldn't.
Giant worm in front of you, why don't you try to pet it? It is not a puppy, it is a giant worm on an alien planet, is there any situation where this has turned out well? No, then don't try and touch it.
'The air is breathable', so what is the first thing someone does? Yes, take off their helmet against the protestations of the rest. At least give someone a minute to say 'and there are no pathogens either'. And just because that person was a d*ck in taking his helmet off doesn't mean you have to follow suite 10 seconds later.
Examining remains with no thought of masks and cross contamination. It's an alien planet ffs. I know the masks block faces, but I think I can work out who is who in a mask. The thing suddenly comes alive, and that's the point someone picks up a mask.
Yes, I know characters have to occasionally do stupid things to move the story along, but they do it because they are headstrong, naive, a bit dim, or whatever, they don't all do stupid things. If they were all that stupid there would be no way that civilisation could get off a planet, never mind travel to another one.
Characters just angry for no reason. Yes, I know you are there for the money, but can we have some idea why you are being a d*ck. Characters who are angry for no reason don't tend to make the end of the film, so guess what? And do we care?
There are only supposedly 17 people on the ship, yet you hear about half a dozen of them speak, and so care not when they start to get bumped off. Even just a roll call of who does what so you at least recognise a face when they die. Not that you 'care' for any of the characters.
Megalomaniac character. (apparently Guy Pearce, though I don't think his mother would recognise him) I know you are paying for it, but how did you make your money? What are you dying from? Again characters with no depth. Two hours should be long enough to give the characters some character, if it isn't then make it longer.
Someone is being put into quarantine, but the only people who seem to have an interest in that are in the room, and once those people are overcome, infected person runs around, a not large ship, with no one any the wiser. I think it may have been a good idea to lock the door.
David infects a character, why? Am I missing something? This seemingly has nothing to do with primary (hidden) agenda.
Characters still smoking on space ships in 2093? In the UK you can't smoke in any enclosed public area, and I'm sure more of the world is going in that direction too, so to smoke in an oxygen rich environment seems madness. Yes, I know it is the first thing they did when they came out of stasis in the original Alien film, but please, time has moved on. If they're still hooked on nicotine, give them an electronic cigarette.
Taking a library of books into space? Who's going to read them, they're in stasis going there, and one would assume, the same on the way back. 70 years from now, did eBooks suddenly not seem like a good idea? Also, in the future when resources always seem to be scarce, is there paper to make books, and also enough energy to cart them up into space?
The use of the 3D was also quite poor imho. There seemed to be more in the trailer, but because of the quick cutting in that, had my eyes spinning anyway. You will not miss anything if you see this in 2D. It seem only James Cameron can do top notch 3D.
The two friends I was with were like 'meh'. Another person I knew who I saw on the way out really enjoyed it. :-/
I'm in no hurry to see it again. If this is the best Ridley Scott can do with (lots of) time and money, then maybe his time has passed.