A magnificent mess

Rating: Null/10 (9 June 2012)

Ridley Scott's sci-fi CV is up with the best of them so I had high hopes for this prequel to the Alien franchise, (of which his film is by far and away the best). Oh dear, what a disappointment - a series of astonishing and fabulous special effects masterpieces were offset by an incoherent plot, weak acting and more plot holes than a Swiss cheese.
On the negative side: I suppose it would appear picky to take the film apart too much and dive too deeply into the detail, it is only fiction after all and everyone watching it is supposed to be enjoying themselves! But I did find some things stretching credulity...a mission briefing given on arrival rather than on embarkation...no trained security taken on an expedition costing a trillion dollars intending to encounter aliens of unknown military potential...DIY abdominal surgery held together with paperclips and with the patient running full tilt within minutes...a race of super-intelligent creatures whose first reaction to a polite question is to pull the questioner's head off (perhaps it might have been an idea to subtitle David's question so we knew what he said?)...quarantine regulations enforced by open doors and flamethrowers...
The list goes on.
The plot offered no explanation (that I could see) as to why the Engineers wanted us dead, or why they brought life to the dead Earth in the first place. Where did the Captain get his reasoning from that LV223 was a military installation? What was the purpose of the giant head and the green stone? Why was no one left on the bridge to watch over Milburn and Fifield when they were lost within the dome structure? I don't know.
On the positive side: It would be fair to say that the SFX were jaw-dropping. I thought the opening shots of the primeval Earth and of Prometheus's arrival at LV223 were breathtaking. I liked Fifield's map-making droids and the Galactic Map in the centre of the alien ship. The various grisly creatures featured were very well-conceived and the Engineers themselves were impressive.
A pity that the best acting came from someone playing a synthetic human. Such a shame that the film left more questions than when it started, although at least we now know that the aliens of the franchise are biological weapons. I hope Dr Shaw's further adventures are more coherent.
My son and I saw Dark Star on DVD the previous night. Frankly, we enjoyed that more.
6/10.