Liked but.....

Brief review with spoilers. Comments after first viewing in 3D at weekend: Great-looking film, as you'd expect from Scott - and 3D used so beautifully that a 2D version would look pretty flat, and I'd miss those FX. Script weaknesses: established ideas not developed - e.g. That wonderful scene of David enjoying Lawrence of Arabia, and practising "...it's not minding that it hurts..." should surely have been picked up and echoed in a later scene - for him, perhaps, to say that to another character in pain.... and the curious, and inexplicable character softening between Charlize and Idris, that ended with him apparently following her off-screen singing "Love the one you're with..." after the Stephen Stills reference - suggesting that they might, or might not, be off for a little sexual diversion....? And why did the "ship" contain shell-like canisters in Prometheus... but later, in Alien, have more organic, seed-like pods, containing face-huggers...? Which were not discovered during the ship's exploration in Prometheus? And what was the development of the strange octopus-like alien lifeforms? And what brought about the emergence of the alien-like creature at the end - which, by the way, was a bit wimpy-looking, and didn't have the wonderful rear rib-cage projections of the original Alien alien.....??? Apart from all that.... the film was worth seeing. The climactic scenes of the space-jockey climbing into his pilot seat were terrific. Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender were very good, but the Scottish crew member was barely sketched in, Rafe Spall wasted and killed off too early, and Noomi Rapace forced to be a bit too soft and nice which weakened her character. She didn't have the "oomph" of Ripley - but then neither the height nor presence, sadly.... And the other thing I've sometimes thought about Ridley's films (Gladiator an exception - a truly great film) was that, though he's great on photography, lighting, and the dynamics of individual scenes, I think he's not so good on pace..... Prometheus needed a bit more push/drive, I think..... it could have been a bit more of an exhilarating fair ride...... A tighter edit maybe - which could have fitted in a bit more character development and exposition.....