I've been waiting all year to see this. I took my girlfriend to the local(ish) Imax theater to see it. I got there early. I got a good seat. I prepared my mind for awesomeness. I did have to see it in 3d which did not please me but we'll get to that in a minute. First let me get this bad analogy off my chest that most of you will probably disagree with.
It is my honest opinion that sci-fi films are like cheeseburgers. This is why.
- There are only a few perfect sci fi films, just like there are only a few cheeseburgers I've eaten in my life that could be considered perfect. This short list includes The Thing, 2001, Bladerunner, and if I may catagorize it as sci-fi...The Matrix.
- There are a bunch of very good sci films just like there have been cheeseburgers that I've eaten and felt refreshed and satisfied afterwards. Not only would I eat it again, but I will remember them for being not only memorable but entirely unique thatn the rest. This includes the first two Alien films, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Sunshine, Children of Men, and Solaris.
- The rest includes films that are what they are...sci fi films. I can't really think of a single sci fi film that I wasn't at least a little bit interested in. I love cheeseburgers. Even the ****ty ones are still a good thing. This list includes Even Horizon, War of the Worlds, 12 Monkeys, Ghostbusters, and the Fifth Element. Good films mixed in wth some bad ones that didn't breach the next level but still left be with a nice feeling and a sense of satisfaction.
Prometheus is a very good burger.
Yet, it still had it's flaws.
The visuals. My god the visuals. This is without a doubt one of the more stunning films to come out since The Matrix. As Bob mentioned, Scott really decided he wanted to wow the crowd with stunning landscapes and atmosphere. The opening shots of an ancient Earth landscape was an amazing intro into what was going to be shown to us for the rest of the film. The shots of the ship from the outside, the shots of the "ship" from the inside, and of course the beautifully constructed carnage that occurred in the middle is something that is going to last a long time. It's one of the few 3d films I've seen where I felt that the 3d helped bring out more depth and sharper images. It really is a sight to behold.
The acting. Michael Fassbender stole every scene he was in. He's been a favorite of mine since Hunger and he does not disappoint one bit. He was creepy and dark at the same time he was soulful and bright which was a great contrast to how the rest of the crew treated him. Noomi Rapace was also very very good and I think that she is going to be a go too actress for further sci fi films. She just has this face for sci fi/horror. The rest of the cast did what they needed to do and they all did it well. I had no idea that was Guy Pearce for a while.
Surgery Scene. That is all. One of the best I've seen in a while.
I did have some issues with it though. The script could have been a lot better. I felt there were a lot of unanswered questions and I'm not talking about the main plot line. I'm talking about what I felt were pieces of character development that were inserted to give us more depth but left me with questions as to why they were even introduced. Like I said before in my retarded analogy, there are very few perfect sci fi movies, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that the ideas are so immense and complex that getting everything hemmed into a script can be a daunting task. I didn't feel like it took that much away from the film, but it just could have been better.
Go and see this movie in a good theater. If you like sci fi then you owe it to yourself to see a master craftsman at work giving us an absolutely beautiful film that is dark as it is incredibly bright and exciting. I'll be seeing it again.
8.5/10