Where did you come from, where did you go?

Rating: 7/10 (9 June 2012)

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Ridley Scott jumps back into the sci-fi genre 30 plus years after his two classics: Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982). Since then, he has avoided sci-fi and had some ups (Gladiator, American Gangster) and some downs (too many to list). Of course, in the film world, one need only create a single masterpiece to be forever worshiped ... and the Alien lovers have always held out hope their master would return. With a sly approach, Mr. Scott has delivered a prequel that should keep the geeks happy, while also having the "wow" factor to generate multiple viewings.
In the year 2089 we witness an archaeologist played by Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) discover an ancient cave map. With remarkable efficiency, four years later, the Prometheus space ship is landing on the moon depicted in the drawings. It's mission is to discover the origin of life. The crew make-up is almost identical to the crew in Alien, only this time we get an ice queen corporate director, played by Charlize Theron, to emphasize corporate greed and the lack of love for science.
Once the ship lands, we pretty much know what the search crew will find. That doesn't ruin the impact of the images. The strength of the movie comes from the visuals and effects. We never doubt that we are in a far away galaxy or that the aliens are real. This is one of the RARE times that the 3D version is recommended. Despite the dulled images caused by the glasses, this one was actually filmed in 3D and the effects really pop a few times.
There will be much debate over this film because it looks effectively creepy and fascinating ... downright phenomenal. However, it has many of what I call "stupid movie character moments". You know, those times when a character does or says something that just makes no sense - other than to create an opportunity for the filmmaker? There are plenty of those present here. The script is co-written by Jon Spaihts and "Lost" guru Damon Lindelof. The overall idea is brilliant and worth pursuing, however, the details and gaps are quite disappointing. We know there will be minor characters sacrificed in the name of creating fear in the survivors, but couldn't we have more than one strong character? The Noomi Rapace character has much in common with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, but the others here are pretty generic.
Idris Elba plays the ship's captain, Guy Pearce plays Peter Weyland, the old man funding the mission and seeking immortality, and Logan Marshall-Green plays Rapace's partner and lover. The only other character of interest is Michael Fassbender's android David. He models himself after Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, right down to the golden locks. Android technology has come a long way since Alien and David can be quite a wry smart-ass.
In the end, the sci-fi geeks will decide if this one deserves to live on, but for me, despite the breath-taking technological effects, it's not at the level of Alien. It was kind of humorous to hear a score that bears an uncanny resemblance at times to the iconic score of Inception. It seems that film's impact is nothing short of never-ending.