A Good Summer Popcorn Muncher

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2012)

As I don't watch television or read pop-culture magazines I only became aware of this film via mention on the BBC World Service. Ridley Scott on a prequel to Alien, eh? As long as it doesn't have the beaten to death theme of people being picked off, one by one I could probably sit through it. Professional review was something Luke-warm, which doesn't bother me, some reviewers are too long in their own cocoons, forgot their childhoods, whatever.
Out to see it this afternoon and went the extra yard for 3D, which did add a bit to the experience, as there's some nice scenes in there. The film moves along a pretty brisk clip, the only issue I have is what a load of cowboys anthropologists of the future are -- not spending any time at all to screen for biological problems, possibility of inhabitation, dangerous fauna, they charge right in. Well, that's par for the course I guess, otherwise I rather enjoyed seeing how things would develop and was quite happy there wasn't a lot of dwelling on one scene or other. The opening sequence certainly left a riddle. Also I see the prequel offers a new fork for it's own path of exploration. Neatly done.
All in all, a good film if you can detach yourself from reality or being too skeptical about things. Wouldn't mind watching again.