Nice visuals, bad everything else.

Rating: 3/10 (19 November 2012)

I have a lot of time for Ridley Scott. He has made a long list of wonderful films. He has the skill to create movies that dazzle, frighten you and make you think.
Prometheus, though, is not one for the resumé.
It's a prequel of sorts - but this seems unclear when watching the film and I gained no further insight into the 'Alien' universe than I did without watching the film. There are a number of similarities to Alien but whereas the Alien crew were bored, travel hardened, cynical space truckers the crew of Prometheus...well, they are a strange mix of people. Certainly, I wouldn't have picked them as a crew to investigate something so unimaginably important.
This is one area that the film fails. The crew are a type of action piñata - merely there to be whacked and disposed of as the plot sees fit. It's as if no time went into their development as it was not deemed worth it, when they were needed as nothing other that set dressing. They also do not make meaningful sense as a crew on a research ship - people on research ships tend to be passionate, methodical and pragmatic. This crew have none of that.
The second area where the film fails is the plot. It is a veritable Swiss cheese of plot holes, cul-de-sacs and blind alleys. Not only do minor details fail to add up but the entire plot - the hook upon which this carcass is hung - is just a shambles. A kind of moronic, smörgåsbord of ideas that make no actual sense when you start thinking about it after you have left the cinema. I understand that one of the writers from Lost was involved - and that explains a lot.
The visuals, however, are fantastic. From the Prometheus itself to the gorgeous rolling alien landscapes - all of it is a feast for the eyes.
Finally, special mention needs to go to Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba and Michael Fassbender who almost single handedly keep the show on the road. Whilst the plot holes, miscasting and dubious scientific research turn this movie into a Carry On film they gamely lean on their significant acting ability and soldier on.
So, 5 out of 10 - why Scott didn't put this through a writers workshop is beyond me though!