Not spectacular but better than the reputation

Rating: 7/10 (16 October 2012)

I wouldn't call myself a MASSIVE fan of the Alien franchise but I've generally rather enjoyed them. The original was classic sci fi horror cinema from Ridley Scott, with its sequel indeniably the best entry in the whole series, coming from the master of sci-fi action/horror James Cameron. The subsequent films were admittedly not staggering, but something about the atmosphere of the Alien stories kept audiences nevertheless coming back for more.
There hasn't been an Alien film since Resurrection (excluding the Vs franchise) so there was certainly a bit of expectation about this; it being a prequel explaining where it all began, and also being the only one in the series without 'Alien' in the title.
Prometheus sees a project ship of the movie's name traveling to where it is believed the creators of mankind originate; 2 scientists, Charlie and Ellie having discovered what appears to be intergalactic maps pointing to the destination are aboard said project ship leading the expedition, trying to find out answers. Naturally they get more than they bargained for.
Prometheus wasn't made to be a masterpiece, it is pretty clear it was made as an enjoyable tale which endeavours to explain the backstory of the Alien arc, and in that respect it does a pretty good job.
Michael Fassbender is technically the main character (David) as the ship's 'host', an odd-job handiman employed by the project to, among other things, learn multiple ancient dialects in order to communicate with alien civilisations. He is not human, and in a very subtle nod to Scott's earlier masterpiece Blade Runner is an effective replicant - a manufactured human without 'a soul'. He does not want, desire, or feel emotion. He serves. And is pivotal in the progression of the story, with possibly questionable motives despite his limbo state. Fassbender puts in a fine performance and steals every scene he is in.
The cinematography is impressive, with some eye-catching panoramic scenes and Scott's direction is its usual impressive self. One thing this isn't is boring.
Other performances are decent if not striking, with Kate Dickie's Ford particularly struggling. Whether it was just her Scottish accent contradicting the others I'm not sure, but her lines were rather forced.
One thing I'm confused by is the really poor reputation in terms of word of mouth this movie has. It scores 7.3 here but most people I've known who've seen it did not like it much, and the critical reviews were scathing. Yet, I'd agree with the 7.3 overall.
Sure, it's not as good as Aliens, sure, it's not Scott's finest. But it's still a pretty decent couple of hours of entertainment which does a better job than many prequels of filling the gaps in.