Just watched Prometheus on Blu-ray and I've come to the conclusion that any issue I had with the film was based on the fact that the trailers revealed too much. After more than four months I've come back to it anew, and not having the expectation helps a whole lot in evaluating the film fairly. If I hadn't seen the juggernaut or the Jockey chair, or any of the spoilers (and there were loads) I would have been all the more wowed by my first exposure to the film. But of course when there was this expectation that things had been held back - when there wasn't, then that was an initial disappointment.
But now, the only flaw I can see is the choice of Pearce in old age make-up, not that there's anything wrong with the acting, but it it would have been more credible with an older actor.
Nothing wrong with the plot. It has a sense of wonder and it has menacing moments. The Hammerpede scene is pretty relentless on second viewing, as is the med-pod. The film does feel epic but also intimate and emotional in places. I don't have a problem with the music, or (shock horror) the editing. The creature designs are a deconstruction of Giger, the first step towards the ultimate weapon, or an off-shoot of the ultimate weapon, so they are far more fitting than having a perfect Giger recreation.
I admit I like some of the deleted scenes, particularly Vickers and Janek, which would have been a nice bridge before returning to the waking Shaw.
Also, I have to say that many of the character issues don't seem a big deal to me, the best example being Fifield and Millburn as most of the issues raised around them appear to be addressed in the film. Janek's deliberately trying to spook them with news about the 'lifeform' after they've found the bodies and given that, I think their return to the ampule room as a place to take refuge is reasonable. I also don't see a problem with being enthralled by the Hammerpede - here again the deleted worm scene would have helped but as he is shown wary of the Hammerpede and also of trying to win over the trust of the creature (to calm Fifield) I think the scene works. Also, on second viewing it's more apparent that Janek's assumptions about the facility don't come out of the blue and neither does his sacrifice. Although as stated above, the Vicker/Janek scene wouldn't have harmed the flow of the film at all.
Is it as original as Ridley claimed? No, of course not, but then I imagine he isn't a follower of sci-fi. What he's done though is take a few familiar sc-fi tropes and put them on a grand visual scale as he did with A L I E N . People have said this film isn't as smart as it thinks it is, well, possibly, but it makes a refreshing change to see some sci-fi that isn't all about super heroes fighing giant CGI effects and where character is at the heart of the story. Yes, I mean that. It's about David and Shaw chiefly, and in that it works.
And actually it's a self contained film. I want to see a sequel because the possibilities it's opened up are intriguing, not because the whole thing is just too ambiguous and needs everything answered.
All in all a fine film I am proud to have on Blu ray, and certainly the only companion piece to A L I E N that I can immerse myself into with any pleasure. Unlike practically any other sequel or prequel this is trying to do something new, not groundbreakingly new to sci-fi, but new to the Alien universe and that is so refreshing.
How anyone could compare this to AvP is beyond me.
PS, having just read through some of the posts on this thread about scientific plausibility, maybe it's rife with problems, I don't know and I don't care. It seems to be more scientifically plausible than the vast majority of sci-fi and if things happened to serve the plot... well, I guess that takes precedence.
Prometheus and Lawless are the two best films of the year for me.
