My review

Let me say at the outset I am more of a fan of Ridley Scott's work generally than I am of Alien per se, although I have enjoyed it and all of its successors (albeit in varying degrees). But I am much more of a fan of Blade Runner than Alien, for example, and also films of his like Black Rain, Someone To Watch Over Me, Kingdom of Heaven and of course Gladiator. So it was with tremendous anticipation that I awaited this film, but NOT because it necessarily had anything whatsoever to do with Alien. I followed every bit of the viral marketing campaign and all the tidbits in places like this, and read a lot of pro and con reviews before I got to see the film. I have to tell you that exposure to all the spoilers I encountered by doing this did not reduce my viewing experience one bit. I brought my wife (also a big Ridley Scott fan) and my 11 year old (he is very mature for his age), who had been watching Alien, Aliens, and Alien Resurrection on the Sci Fi channel, so he knew all about facehuggers and chestbursters. We saw it in IMAX 3D which is definitely the way to see it. I have to say, my mind was totally blown by this film. I was absolutely riveted for the entire duration. I thought that among the key characters there was very rich but very subtle interplay that gave deep insights into their motivations and personalities. Of course, Fassbender's portrayal of David was sheer genius and may get him an Oscar. And the visuals of the film were peerless. It looked real and I was totally lost in the experience. The pacing was great, it moved faster and faster which dragged you along for one hell of a ride. It is the "2001" of our time. So many aspects of this film are still churning around in my head, but the key one that is surfacing is that this was NOT a scientific mission in the sense we think of it (the way NASA would execute it), it was a last ditch attempt of a dying man with virtually unlimited resources at his disposal to try and find something, anything, to cheat his death. There are multiple layers of story wrapped around this that will make for much pondering (and repeat viewing), but that is the core. The people who complain that this doesn't answer all their questions about Alien or the SJs etc. are missing the point. In all cases of science, or anything for that matter, the answers you get do really lead only to more questions. The same way in Blade Runner (Director's Cut) where it ended with Deckard and Rachel leaving Deckard's apartment, reaching for a future together into the unknown, Prometheus leaves many things open for us to ponder and wonder at. That's what makes it a great piece of art, to me, as opposed to something that sewed up loose ends in a pedestrian fashion. In time this will be viewed with the same reverence as 2001 and Blade Runner, for sure. For me, it already is. Thanks for reading.