Exhilarating, Exciting, and Enjoyable. However...

Rating: 8/10 (8 June 2012)

I went into the cinema with limited expectations, having never seen the Alien films. Although I knew all about the Alien mythos and the details of its universe, I never actually saw the movies. Yes, I know, what a life. But really, this fact made it much easier for me to like this film mainly because Prometheus answered whatever questions I had regarding Alien (at least, surface questions I formed based on assumptions and general understandings), and posed other interesting questions in addition--questions that blockbuster movies don't usually pose. Therefore I wasn't bothered much by the whole "doesn't answer all the questions only gives more questions" thing because I had never seen the Alien movies to begin with.
I am a big Sci Fi fan, from books to movies to the idea. And this movie, visually and ideally, fulfilled all my fantastical Sci Fi expectations. I was hooked, completely intrigued and stunned from the opening scene. Despite the build-up being intentionally dawning, it worked for me. Every new scene that popped up pleased me. If it didn't please me, it freaked the hell out of me, especially the birthing scene in the medpod.
Of course, gradually the exhilaration started to die out as the scientists committed some really avoidable mistakes and did some really unnecessary things just to get the plot moving, but all that didn't really affect me as I was more immersed in the whole environment and situation that they found themselves in. I didn't care that they did completely retarded things, because the result was always completely gratifying.
So here's my breakdown: 1) Opening scene is breathtaking and intriguing, although this kind of landscape eagle eye view thing has been attempted many times before. 2) I wish they would've had some more sets to work with, instead of just the Engineer's tomb/ship and the Prometheus. However I understand that this wouldn't fit with the storyline, the planet being simply a military outpost and all. 3) Michael Fassbender was fantastic as David--a real highlight of the movie. This simple character can easily meld in and out of plot lines and adds more intrigue to the entire movie, being a half-robot. 4) The scene before and when David wakes the passengers has this easy breezy Wall-E-esque feel to it, adding more to the nostalgic Sci Fi vibe.
In the end, even though Prometheus leaves more questions at its conclusion, it didn't bother me much because I was there all for the visual spectacle and unabashed harking to the glorious days of Sci Fi. The enjoyable performances from Fassbender, Theron and Rapace helped too. I don't watch movies for questions to be answered about previous movies, I watch them for the ride, and Prometheus sure brought me on a ride I won't soon forget. I highly recommend this movie for people looking to cringe in their seats and get thrilled.