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Generally favorable reviews- based on 1592 Ratings

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  1. Feb 25, 2014
    I wanted to like this movie and I was excited to finally see it when it made it to DVD. I'm sorry but I was bored and frustrated by the story. It dragged along as the characters (supposed geniuses from their fields) did the stupidest things you can think of. I don't know what else to say about other than I personally thought it was terrible.
  2. Feb 8, 2014
    "Prometheus" was a gripping movie experience for me. It had grim, but beautiful visuals, great use and combination of CGI and 3D, sharply directed action scenes and above everything else, a story that asks unanswered questions about human existence. Sure, the ending probably didn't deserve an A+, but as a whole, "Prometheus" was still pretty awesome.
  3. Jan 28, 2014
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A terrible movie/script in almost all ways;

    * Stupid chars that make stupid decisions.
    * Quasi-religious and pretentious. ("It's what i choose to belive"...c'mon?!)
    * Science gets raped.(i.e the FACT of Evolution)
    * Logic and reason is nowhere.
    * An insult to the Alien-universe. Even AVP is more enjoyable.
    * Boring and in no way suspenseful
    * Not one bit as "profound" that some ppl seems to think.
    * Auto C-section scene; probably one of the most non-intentionally funniest scenes ever.
    * Giant squid facehuggers, "Space jockey smash!", terrible Xenomorph, The ol' run in a straight line death-scene..........
    I could go on and on...

    I mean WTH R.Scott?
    This tripe is such an insult to my senses and intelligence. 120 million dollars down the drain. GG
  4. Jan 15, 2014
    This movie was ok, but I thought it was going to be better. The producers make the movie preview look good, but when you see the movie it's not as good as you thought it would be. Prometheus doesn't look rated R; it should be PG-13. I'm giving it a mixed review because thriller is my favourite movie genre and I like the title. The movie was a little interesting, even though it had myself questioning some parts. The movie has this unique atmosphere. This movie is worth watching. Synopsis: Scientists visit a planet and discover a species that is quite similar to humans. However, it's not always what it seems like... Expand
  5. Jan 11, 2014
    This unfortunate movie was marketed as the prequel to his 1978 film Alien, when in fact it is nothing short of a slightly related disaster. The only positive parts of the film were Michael Fassbender’s ‘If-I-Were-A-Real-Boy’ robot character David, the cinematography and the special effects (I believed that vagina monster was coming for me, I really did).
  6. Jan 2, 2014
    Science Fiction or Faith?

    At the end of the movie I was a bit confused about this movie leaving unanswered questions. But after thinking about it for some time and few discussions some were answered and I am hoping rest will be answered in the potential sequel as told by director Scott. I haven't seen 'Alien' the film which 'Prometheus' is supposed to be prequel to yet, so my review is
    treating Prometheus independently. I am ardent science-fiction fan and the plot of based on the questions like "Did someone design humans?", "Where do we go after death?", "Why there is life?", etc. which ponder in my mind everyday generated great excitement and expectations from this film but at the end was slightly disappointed by answers. Leaving where the story ends up aside Prometheus has outstanding visuals with slick cinematography, good performance by Michael Fassbender as a robot(who plays a key role) and generates enough suspense/thrills to entertain and thus receives a positive response from me. Just don't have too high expectations then you will like this film. Expand
  7. Dec 29, 2013
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I liked the Alien movies, especially the one by Ridley Scott but this one is just bad. This visuals are good so gave a 2/10 rating. There are two main flaws which ruin the movie completely.

    The first: Why is everyone acting like a complete idiot? Sometimes it's just painful to be confronted with such stupidity while watching. Hey, there is a maybe hostile alien life form. Let's touch it! Hey, we got this 2000 year old alien head. Let's investigate it in the least scientific way possible and blow it up with some kind of electro shock device. WTF?

    The 2nd: The logical issues in the plot and the unanswered questions.
    Why do apes and humans similar DNA?
    Why were the engineers planning to destroy humanity?
    What are David's motives?
    Why was the old guy hiding?
    The list goes on.

    I mean, has anyone read the script before making the movie?
    And why didn't they chose a younger actor for the old guy? Making younger people old in movies never looks realistic.

    I'm a big fan of science fiction movies. There are a lot of mediocre movies which are at least for me still likeable but this one is not.
  8. Dec 14, 2013
    Even if it isn't original, Prometheus has jaw dropping visuals and a surprisingly great storyline. Couple that with top notch acting and a tense atmosphere, what you will get is a great sci-fi/horror flick.
  9. Dec 9, 2013
    Prometheus' visuals are absolutely stunning. The often mentioned plot holes in Prometheus can be explained away if you're willing to dig deep enough-and for me- certainly didn't detract from the film in anyway.
  10. Dec 8, 2013
    Not a bad movie but yes couldn't live up it's hype. Movie is slow, not the alien sci-fi with mindless action type. It even looks like some fictional Discovery show for most of the time but it's a good movie, definitely worth your money.
  11. Dec 5, 2013
    This is a really great movie simpliy put and if you have half a brain and use it to think you won't have a problem understanding this movie at all.....
  12. Nov 23, 2013
    This movie was a ok sci fi movie. It was a TERRIBLE alien sequel. The charecters were uninteresting, made bad decisions (by horror movie standards, no weapons on an alien planet? Come on) and had mediocre dialogue. The movie wasn't scary, had plot holes, and no aliens alien in it until the end. Only see this if their is nothing better on tv.
  13. Nov 21, 2013
    Great film in my opinion, the only way my opinion will change is if the follow ups don't link it properly to the original story line.
    Visually stunning, well written not perfect, but nothing is and well executed in general.
    I loved the original Alien film, liked the other films too. I don't understand what people's problem with Prometheus was. Among the plot holes suggested was them
    sending stupid scientists personally I thought that the fact that they were hand picked by a multi-billionaire who was quite clearly as mad as a badger explained that quite nicely. Expand
  14. Nov 7, 2013
    A year old now and I still have nightmares and sweats at how spectacularly bad this film is. I hate you now Ridley. Anyone giving this film more than 3 needs a lobotomy. Or they enjoy Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.
  15. Oct 27, 2013
    This movie is actually awful. As far a sci-fi and/or horror are concerned. The characters are so stupid as to fill the movie with plot holes, its attempts at being deep are total shots in the dark, and I guess it's supposed to be a really visually appealing movie but nothing the high budget special effects were showing were actually that interesting.
  16. Oct 6, 2013
    Despite its clear imperfections, I liked Prometheus. Visually stunning and with a great performance from Michael Fassbender, there is a certain something that sets Prometheus apart from other films of the genre. It is profound, ambitious, and fascinating, but suffers from poor decision-making on part of the writers.
  17. Sep 26, 2013
    I write this perfect-scored review knowing that it probably won't mean anything amongst the massively divided sea of critical opinion but I feel I must share my truly honest opinion. I have been a hardcore Alien fan for ages, as well as a serious devotee to Ridley Scott, so needless to say I was one of the countless swept up in the hype-hurricane surrounding this films development.
    guess what sets me apart from most is that I witnessed a film that actually exceeded my pipe-dream level expectations.
    I'll admit that I was skeptical if ANY film could potentially rival the utter brilliance of the 1979 masterpiece. What I was not prepared for was a film that not only did the original perfect justice but proved that it could be redefined.
  18. Sep 25, 2013
    This is by far the biggest let-down I have ever had the displeasure to watch half of in the local cinema. The special effects were good, but the story line was near non-existant. The robot guy ended up killing people and god knows why, everyone has different theories, but the only thing that keeps this pile of trash afloat is the visual detail and suspense. Suspense for what? What's going on? Oh my god my head hurts from trying to work out what the bloody hell's going on. Dad and I ended up waiting outside while mum watched the rest, and we preferred standing out underdressed at near-freezing temperatures among drunks from the local tavern joking about how godawful the film was than sticking it out watching the rest of that pile of crap. Expand
  19. Sep 20, 2013
    We are "scientists".

    The cartoon parody of this film actually highlights rather well the problems surrounding this movie. I'll start with some positives, though. The cinematography is excellent beautifully shot and edited. The underlying musical score is outstanding. It combines to take you back to a more classical style of film making of now household names in the science fiction
    genre, like The Abyss. Michael Fassbender's performance of the android David was stellar, very rich and nuanced, despite the fact he was essentially playing an automaton. Also of note are Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba and Charlize Theron.

    I think this movie's main problem is that it suffers from an identity crisis. It has absolutely no idea what kind of film it wants to be. Some trailers advertised it as an action-adventure, a'la Aliens. Others advertised it as something more horrific, a'la Alien. Then other trailers advertised it as a deep philosophical examination of the "big questions" that Humanity tackles, a'la Blade Runner. Looking at the interviews, even the actors didn't seem to know what this film was. Was it an Alien prequel? Was it a stand alone film? Was it a prequel in the sense it just takes place before the original Alien? Nobody seemed to know. After watching the film, neither did the writers.

    It feels like a mash of ideas rather than a coherent story. In places it wants to be scary and tense, akin to the original Alien. In other places it tries to be subtly philosophical, akin to Blade Runner. In other places it just wants to be a sci-fi action film, akin to Aliens. It can't seem to focus itself into telling its own story. The appearance of a proto-Alien at the end, as if this was the inevitable outcome of all the film's events, confirms this attitude that the film makers either simply could not or were unwilling to tell a story that did not have some connection to the original Alien somehow.

    Admittedly I was not too confident upon hearing Damon Lindelof (of Lost infamy) was going to be writing the story and screenplay. Lindelof is one of those writers who can produce good ideas, but noticeably struggles to hammer them out into a coherent screenplay. The essence of the story is a $1 trillion dollar mission to find the origins of Humanity (which explains why all the "scientists" who are so gung-ho about their attitude they make the stereotypical redneck look like Einstein all signed up to this four year mission knowing precisely zero about it, as none of them were briefed until they arrived at their destination) based on extremely flimsy evidence (a few cave paintings of ancient Humans pointing to a pattern which happens to correspond to a star constellation). Ignoring the obvious problems with this (red shift, changes in star formations over time and so on), there is already a problem with this concept.

    We later learn the place Humans were pointing to is simply a weapons research facility, where the Engineers (the aliens who engineered life on Earth again ignoring proven Darwinism) were creating a biological weapon, apparently to unleash against Humans some 2,000 years ago before their own weapons turned on their creators. So why direct Humans to this installation? If they were planning on destroying us when the Roman Empire was still at its height, it can't possibly have been to make Humans visit to test the weapon, or to undergo any other test, as its just a military base. Why go to all the trouble of influencing ancient cultures to this degree, if there is sweet F.A. of any significance at the intended destination? What were Humans supposed to do when they landed outside the Engineer's military outpost?

    Then its a cue for plot cliches and things happening because the plot demands it, not because it is natural in any way. The biologist is scared he found the existence of alien life when stumbling across an Engineer carcass and runs away with the geologist, who despite mapping the structure and having a near-constant comms link to the ship manages to get lost (my god, even US soldiers nowadays have a dead reckoning navigation if their satellites go down), but then when the biologist comes across an obviously hostile alien snake, he wants to stick his face in it. Score one for character consistency.

    David the android then contaminates Holloway's drink with a drop of the biological weapon, because he magically knows Holloway will have sex with Shaw, who will then give birth to an alien squid which will then impregnate an Engineer which will then give birth to a proto-Alien. Sure, he may have just been curious about its effects, but it all seems too convenient, just to force the Alien creature into the film in some way.

    The reveal of Weyland being on board also did not need to be a secret. Weyland does not give two when he is discovered alive by Shaw, and his reason for being there is because he wants to ask the Engineers to grant him eternal life. Uh-huh. 5000 characters is not enough.
  20. Sep 12, 2013
    unexceptionable on the visual side, the script flaws of vanity. seems to be a continuous self-celebration exercise of their ability to develop complex plots full of historical, philosophical and moral implications. the result is an agglomeration too cryptic that float on the assumption for which spectators will search on google the story understanding. clearly this is the first part of the story with pros and cons. pros is that story can only improve and become more delineated, understandable and astonishing with the next episodes. cons is that you exit from the cinema with the unpleasant feeling of having seen a movie interrupted without know when (and if) there will be the next part and with a lot too much of question with no answer. Expand
  21. Sep 6, 2013
    Please make me unsee this. This is the worst movie ever, I almost puked when I see it. Nothing entertaining, just nothing. Failed action, failed horror. This movie tries to be priquel to Alien but failing hard in plot.
  22. Aug 24, 2013
    special effects and cgi are 10/10. unfortunately the rest is crap. The acting is mediocre, the plot is predictable. It starts off essentially as Ancient Aliens: The Movie. they find many cave paintings from across the world and are able to deduce from them that a certain planet may have life on it. By 20 minutes into the movie they are already on their way to said planet. Also, the themes are shoved down your throat. Challenging faith in God, challenging religion in general, etc. I'm not fans of films that completely lack subtlety in their approach to thematic elements. There are myriad ways to explore these themes other than very explicit dialogue from characters. Overall this movie is a 6/10. The CGI/SFX are top notch and I think it should have taken home the academy award for it. But everything else is just... forgettable. Expand
  23. Aug 18, 2013
    I should give this movie a zero. The only reason I give it not is that the visuals are great. Art designers clearly put a lot of care into that, and they deserve recognition. Ridley Scott, and the guys who developed the plot and the characters on the other hand should be ashamed of pissing all over the heads of the people who wanted to watch a good alien movie, or even a decent one.
    only thing I could find likeable is the initial scene and the scene where the android is in the ship and everyone else is still sleeping. The rest is ruined by the really stupid characters who act like teenagers more than scientists. They become drunk because after the first 30 minutes of exploring the planet, they (believe) they find discouraging answers. Incidentally, there's never any proof or scientific evidence shown that their statements about the "engineers" are correct. And the nonsensical plot, where nothing is explained, nothing seems to be logical, and events seem to occur randomly. For instance, the attack of the geologist when he is in "zombie mode". I don't get what that scene brings. Pure ****
    I find this movie insulting. Seen it twice and every time is worse.
    On the other hand, I kind of like the design of the proto-alien in the very end. A pity that they don't explain a damn thing about why it comes to life. In the first and second alien movie there was a clear biological cycle. In here, there's just some magical black fluid which can either kill you, or turn you into a beast, or you can use it to inseminate your partner with a giant squid which then can implant an alien embryo in another being. Yeah, sure.
    Want some real alien, watch alien 1 or 2.
  24. Aug 10, 2013
    Prometheus has an interesting premise but ends up leaving way too many unanswered questions, which can be expected from a movie exploring how humans were created.

    However that is not the biggest fault of the movie. The main character is dumb, irritating and annoying. She has very few good ideas (like, hey theres an alien inside me, I should get it out), sounds stupid and always wears a
    weird expression in her face (more bad acting than bad character in this case) and is just so unappealing that I wished her to die somewhere in the beginning of the movie.
    The ending seems like a sequel bait. Lame.
    Soundtrack is not fitting to the movie.
    CGI and special effects are great though.
    There are a few good scares and some violent scenes too. None of them are emotional though.
    If I would be asked to recommend this movie, I wouldnt.
  25. Jul 29, 2013
    epic cinematography beautiful but epically predictable no real scares so many unresolved plot holes .
    you will find rooting for the aliens by the end
  26. Jul 27, 2013
    Prometheus was good and entertaining. Although it does not live up to Ridley Scott's earlier films it is a engaging and decent sci-fi film. It wasn't anything spectacular but this film certainly does not deserve all the negative reviews it has gotten. Plain and simple it doesn't live up to the expectations of the audience but that does not outright make it a bad film.
  27. Jul 22, 2013
    Me encantan las peliculas de ciencia ficcion, ahora se relaciona con los origenes de Alien, tiene buenos efectos especiales, reparto etc...

    Que no tiene sentido la historia? pues por eso se llama ciencia ficcion, no se pongan tan payasos..
  28. Jul 16, 2013
    Starting right off into the film Prometheus was definitely looking at being one hell of a movie, but right up until they land that ship on the alien world they also land the interest straight into a trash can. The only good thing I really took out of this movie were it's visual effects, which I have to say were pretty damn good, however that's all I feel this film offered me. The story was a little boring, not interesting at all, some of the acting in my personal opinion was a little dull, just the feel to the movie was basically a bit poop.

    I'd say it's definitely something people should watch, but only as a rental. Then decide if you want to buy it or not.
  29. Jul 15, 2013
    A solid film and possibly one of my favourite Sci-Fi films out there. It's rather slow paced but certainly picks up when it needs to. Stand-out performance would have to be Michael Fassbender but Noomi Rapace is a strong female lead, and Charlize Theron is always spot on with playing a villain role. It held my interest throughout and had an interesting storyline and concept, and peaked at the right times. Overall pretty impressive stuff and those that like the genre won't be disappointed. Expand
  30. Jul 5, 2013
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First, the good: I can't say I'm a big fan of 3D, but the cinematography in this film was outstanding and magnified by the 3D effect. The design, to most part, was also very impressive. And now on to the bad...
    What a very poor script. So much of the dialogue felt unnecessary, fake, or completely out of character. Naomi Rapace's Elisabeth Shaw does not convince at all. It's obvious that she is suppose to be some sort of a Ripley hard shoes to fill, seeing as Weaver's Ripley is probably one of the most iconic sci-fi female film characters of all time. Shaw just ends up a caricature of Ripley, and again this is mostly due to the lazy script. It was hard to sympathise with her in the beginning, and confusing as how she got to be who she was in the end.
    Other characters in the film were David, the android, superbly played by Michael Fassbender. There is a charming yet creepy quality about his character, who is detached yet at the same time curious. There is a feeling that emotion is there, just under the surface, and it's not all good.
    Charlize Theron plays cold, Vickers, the person "in charge". She is excellent in this role, which is, unfortunately, so limited, it seems like a waste of a good actress. The same can be said about almost everyone else in the film. So many times people seemed to appear in and out of the film, that you forgot they were of any significance. The only thing I remember about the 2 co-pilots of Prometheus was they had some kinda bet going on. Eldris Alba's captain Janek is initially portrayed as a man who cares about himself and having a good time (he leaves his post for a booty call, putting at risk other crew members) but then puts his life on the line just because someone tells him that otherwise the Earth is in danger (I personally would ask for more of an explanation). Guy Pierce plays old man Weyland why? Where there no older male actors suitable for the part? Under all that prosthetic make-up, it just seemed like, again, it was a waste of a good actor....
    There a few scenes of shock-horror in the film, which made me jump a bit out of my seat and cringe some of which a homage to the original Alien franchise, such as an alien-in-human extraction scene. Although nicely done, they alone cannot make up for a poor script. Matters of faith, infection and creation are touched upon but barely explored maybe they are anticipating a sequel? If so, let's hope they'll be more in the writing. There was virtually no suspense, no arc, or genuine shock. It felt superficial it could have been so much better.....

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 42
  2. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. Reviewed by: David Denby
    Jun 11, 2012
    Scott may always have had an eye on the box office, but from "Alien" and "Thelma & Louise" on, he has made women into heroines. In that regard, he's still ahead of the curve. Rapace's scene is a classic of its kind; it tops John Hurt's notorious misfortunes in "Alien."
  2. 70
    It's a different sort of experience: a stately, somewhat plodding but endurable science-fiction saga.
  3. 75
    There's definite mastery here, but it's hardly a masterpiece.