Prometheus (Ridley Scott, 2012)

When rumours began to circulate of Ridley Scott making a prequel to Alien, the director sought to distance himself from the notion. If the intention was not to burden Prometheus with undue expectations, it was a prudent if vain attempt, as the finished product bears no comparison to his 1979 classic in terms of strength of characterisation or plot, nor indeed to James Cameron's follow-up. There is again a motley crew landing on a distant planet to investigate an alien vessel under orders from a secretive corporation, which of course has a different agenda, as carried out by the one android on board. The vessel turns out to harbour a dangerous life-form that is soon decimating the band by invading their bodies. The storyline purports to do with the discovery of the origins of mankind, but this is messily thought out and turns up nothing in the way of real originality. If Scott hadn't been behind it, it would have ended up in the B-list bin as a competent rip-off. Let the beast lie.

4/10