Thought-provoking and visually sumptuous, if not classic.

Rating: 8/10 (7 June 2012)

Judged as the long awaited return to the sci-fi genre by Ridley Scott, or as the "spin-off prequel" to Alien, then Prometheus will no doubt be deemed a disappointment. Shed those lofty expectations however, and an exceptional sci-fi thriller remains. Setting the tone early with a disintegrating death to a sorta-human-sorta-alien creature, writers Damon Lindelof and Jon Spaihts revel in ambiguity for the first two acts – drip-feeding information here and there, often in subtle ways requiring maximum attention from the audience – before unleashing a more mainstream finale that feels slightly bloated, although never-the-less captivating thanks to the sublime visuals. And it's with the memorable images that this motion picture scores highest; every frame is littered with something impressive to look at, subsequently immersing the viewer into this world entirely and gliding over the occasional odd character decision or plot contrivance. Ridley has clearly not lost his nerve when it comes to confronting scenes either, a key sequence featuring a nerve-wracking emergency operation is chillingly effective and possibly the standout moment in the film. As for the cast, they are all given their moment to shine and no-one lets the team down (although Guy Pierce is covered in so much elderly make-up it becomes distracting), however Michael Fassbender is in a league of his own as the eerie and highly-affecting droid David. Prometheus may not be Alien's modern-day equal, but it's a thought-provoking, visually sumptuous tale that deserves to be seen on the big screen.