Are all prequels to franchise films fundamentally doomed?

Rating: 6/10 (9 June 2012)

Prequels to films with fully-detailed ecosystems can play out like a grocery list of payoffs and 'tribute' scenes. Prometheus has that challenge. Sir Ridley Scott came from the world of commercials where the stereotypes must reveal/explain and play themselves out quickly. So we have all the Alien "hooks" in place and plenty of sci fi genre hooks (Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones) all blended into a script that sometimes -- because of these hooks -- distracts rather than enthralls.
Yes, there has to be a corporate expedition, and a diverse crew and crew conflicts and an amoral robot and slimy creatures. Check, check and check. But where is the growing sense of dread that worked so well in Alien? Granted, this is -- by necessity -- derivative stuff. But I watched Prometheus from a distance. Never with the sense of intimate menace that Alien so brilliantly exploited.
There is one situation that is so preposterous and distracting that it took me right out of the film -- and I was barely in it, anyway. The best science fiction puts you into the world you are observing and uses that to give you new perspectives. Prometheus was at times a bit like a thing wriggling in a test tube. Fascinating, but safely removed and not really threatening.
Did I dislike the film? I did not. I rated it a 6/10. It sustained my interest. It simply didn't thrill me. By all means, see it. However, do not go in with high expectations.