Saw Prometheus last night (spoiler-free)

[size=5][b]Note:[/b] This review has been marked "spoiler-free". Any spoilers posted will be removed (the entire post).[/size] -----------------------------------------------------------------So, watched Prometheus at the IMAX last night...here goes my initial thoughts on the movie: First up, let's get a couple of things straight. Prometheus has it's work cut out even before you see it. We've been pondering the origins of the derelict and the space jockey now for several decades...I challenge anyone to even attempt to tackle the prospect of an Alien prequel in the face of such weighty expectation. Then add in that it's Sir Ridleys return to the universe first glimpsed in our beloved Alien (and, in fact, his return to sci-fi) and you've got a mountain to climb even before anyone sits down, dons their 3D specs and pops that first piece of popcorn in their mouth... Long time visitors to this site (and those like myself that have generally obsessed over this movie for many, many months) will probably be much better forewarned about what type of movie Prometheus is before they start watching. We've read, watched, listened and analysed every nuance from Sir Ridley, Lindelof and the cast members over and over again. It seems that the creators and marketing types have gone to great lengths to set expectations for Prometheus... I've read some very negative reviews of Prometheus and (whilst respectful of others opinions) genuinely don't understand why some found it [i]so terrible[/i].... It's an Alien prequel (of sorts) -the film is attempting to tell the origin tale of humanities contact with the Space Jockey (or Engineers). A good proportion of the movie is upbeat - this is a story of scientists finding clues to the origins of life, landing on a new planetoid, finding signs of intelligent life for the first time and investigating etc. That puts it in complete contrast to any of the other Alien movies... they were dark, brooding and malevolent from the outset. There is a completely different mood to this movie. I get the feeling that some reviewers really were expecting Alien 5 and were looking for "more of the same"; if you find yourself in this camp, you'll be sorely disappointed. I think Messrs Scott, Spaights and Lindelof should be commended on not attempting to do a direct "reboot", rehash or remake of Alien. That would have been utterly pointless (See Alien 3 and the terrible, terrible Resurrection). As it is, they've attempted to create a new story that puts us back in the Alien universe, broadens the scope and puts us on the path to some of the answers we've always been looking for. And I find that utterly compelling. That said...it's far from perfect. Lindelof needs to sit down and have a serious word with himself over certain aspects of the script. At 2 hours it feels waaaaay too short (paving the way for an extended directors cut?). The original was approx the same length but the scope and premise of that movie was so much narrower. The length and scope issue brings a whole host of other issues with it: - the first half builds nicely but then the second half and the final third in particular feel very rushed. - A lack of character development. The interactions between the crew are so limited that you barely remember who they are and you certainly don't care - in the slightest - when they are finally bumped off. In one of the main climatic scenes I frankly didn't care who lived or died. - the same climatic scene mentioned above left me scratching my head as to why the characters acted in the way they did...a complete lack of explored motivation for these characters and their relationship to each other. - The tension and build up to some of the movies scarier moments was really lacking, so much more could have been done to really ramp up the fear element... - Again, as mentioned, the death of some crew members was clearly meant to have an major impact in terms of emotions and driving the plot but the sad fact is - that it didn't. Oops. - The pacing is well off. trying to pack too much in? Some of the dialogue - especially near the end - was [i]terrible[/i]. And I mean truly awful. Lindelof should hang his head in shame for that. I felt embarrassed for the poor actors who had to try and say those lines with a straight face. It would have been better if the movie had tried to tie up more at the end (screams Mr Lost at it again) as they have clearly always intended to make a sequel... And, now this is serious, so listen up FOX: IMO you stepped waaaaaay over the line in the reveals in the trailers / TV Spots. Especially the TV spots; even the most ardent spoiler-phobe simply can't avoid these when the flash up unannounced in ad breaks. If there is a sequel, I'm not watching ANY trailer! The plus sides far outweigh the negatives though - epic, visually stunning, Fassbender is outstanding, compelling glimpse into the world of the engineers, a whole new story to obsess over...I could go on and on. I thought it was a great movie and will see it again. Prometheus deals with a much broader scope of ideas than the original (or the sequels) - the search for answers to our creation, our origins. It presents some truly epic vistas that are simply jaw droppingly stunning; it is an unprecedented visual feast - I watched it in the IMAX and I found myself moving my head constantly trying to soak up all the detail of the environments (especially in the temple and on the stunning PROMETHEUS itself). All in all it's a welcome return to the Alien universe that isn't a rehash of everything we've already seen before...and the end made me desperate for the sequel!!