Sophomoric Science and Frivolous Fiction

Rating: 5/10 (20 June 2012)

Confusing at times and visually vibrant, this Alien tie-in is not going to satisfy the most serious fans of the series and will without doubt not inspire any new ones.
Relying largely on CGI cinematography and contemporary razzle dazzle while sacrificing story and character development is unfortunately a modern trend that seems to be overwhelming the focus on any sort of intellectual intercourse. There are few really sharp minds on board and the crew is made up of the now clichéd motley mess where the most interesting personality is the robot.
Taken at face value and avoiding any analysis of the should have been interesting story of ancient artifacts and human origins, one could possibly enjoy this as visually slightly interesting but sophomoric science-fiction. However, everything is shades of gray and one might ask, whatever happened to Technicolor?
There is some gruesome horror, and it all looks truly futuristic and believable, but again, it seems shallow and without a soulful purpose except "choosing to believe". It fails to deliver a script that is the minimum of mature material and sophisticated science.
Rather disjointed and unsatisfying, it is a letdown, to say the least, to the anticipation of a long awaited follow-up to two of the most popular and entertaining entries in the sci-fi/horror genre. There are few surprises, and fails the Darwinian mantra of evolutionary excellence.