Impressive but has the scissor marks of being cut down

Rating: 8/10 (3 June 2012)

Strange thing the Alien franchise has been. On one hand it had two good movies, a bad movie, and god awful movie, and two spin offs that no one asked for, meaning that the garbage out weighs the good, but on the other hand it has been a nice jumping point to very well respected directors. For example, Alien Resurrection, by far one of the worst films I have seen if placed under the "cinematic destruction" category was written by Joss Weldon, one of the writers for the original Toy Story, producer of Cabin in the Woods, and much more recently the Director of The Avengers....hot damn. The directors of the original trilogy included Sir Ridley Scott (Blade Runner and Gladiator), James Cameron (Titanic and Avatar (if that wasn't obvious)), and David Fincher (The Social Network and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). So now the Alien franchise has been given something I don't really like, a prequel years after the original, but the sparkle in the project is that Sir Ridley Scott returns as the director. The result being Prometheus. Is it good? Yes. Is it better than the original Alien? No.
The thing about Alien is that it was very frightening back in the 1970's while Prometheus is more of a very observing film. The film is very well crafted by Sir Ridley but at times it feels like it's jumping forward. Here is why.
One massive thing to note is that unlike some of the trailers, elements of the original Alien makes its way to the film itself, meaning at times you will end up pointing out some of the classic H. R. Giger elements, and for older fans it will make you squeak in nostalgia. The visual and special effects during the entire film are visually stunning and suspenseful, and the best part of the film is Michael Fassbender. He plays as the android David who is programmed to blend in with the crew while assisting them in their mission. Out of everyone, he will be receiving a few new fans out of all of the fans.
So what is my problem? Well the story can be all over the place at times and something I am left wondering "what the hell?". There are times were I thought that the writers phoned it in unless it turns into something like Kingdom of Heaven, a theatrical cut that was much more different than the DVD cut. It's hard to say so without spoiling anything but the film does have the telltale signs of a film that was cut down, not in terms of length but in terms of content.
If anything, don't take this review as confirmation that Prometheus is not worth your time because it certainly is. It's one of the best movies I have seen all year and I have a good feeling that awards for Fassbender and the visuals will be heading their way. I just don't think it was a complete project and was sadly trimmed and rushed. It also lacks the punch Alien had thirty years ago, but definitely worth your time. Keep an eye for a Directors Cut for the DVD because I have a feeling it will be much more different that the theatrical cut.