Heading into my screening of Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi opus, the Alien non-prequel Prometheus, I was starting to get worried.

Seeing the movie almost a week after the release, all of the sorted online criticism started to seep into my brain.  Was the movie going to be a gigantic disappointment? Would I hate the script? Was this an example of a film where infinite expectation could never be met?

Well, last night, I sat down in a tiny theater in Ocean City, MD, and finally let Ridley Scott take me to a planet millions of miles past anything we know, to take me to perhaps where humanity began - and I’m pleased to say that I absolutely 100% loved the journey.

For those unfamiliar with the plot of Prometheus, allow me to break it down for you: In the year 2089, archeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Not-Quite Tom Hardy, Logan Marshall-Green) discover a 35,000 year old cave painting, that, when synced up with about a half-dozen other paintings from different civilizations, seem to indicate the human ancestor coming from a far off distant star. This could be the key to finding out the origin of humanity.  The Weyland Corporation (that name sounds familiar…) funds the journey, and we’re then pushed to the year 2093, as the spaceship named Prometheus lands in this far off distant location.  The ship is staffed in full including a hard-nosed Captain (Idris Elba), a bitchy representative from the Weyland Corporation (Charlize Theron) and most importantly, an android seemingly concerned with the human condition, David (an absolutely fantastic Michael Fassbender).

From there, the movie takes you into the expedition into this new world as they search for what Shaw has called “Engineers” - who look quite similar to the Space Jockey found in the 1979 Alien.  As you can imagine, given the genre of film, things tend to go rather bleak from there.  As the expedition goes on and more and more is discovered, the body count rises, and results in some of the most visceral and eye-grabbing tension seen in a sci-fi film in ages.  I’m not lying when I said that my jaw was agape throughout certain moments in the film, including an absolutely horrifying sequence which may just have sealed Noomi Rapace’s place in the world of strong sci-fi female leads.

Does the script have its flaws? Absolutely. The screenplay from Jon Spaihts and Lost’s Damon Lindelof tends to ask more questions than it answers, including some rather odd moments of motivation and character development.  But the weaknesses are carried by a cast which is more than willing to step up to the plate and some absolutely beautiful art direction - I can’t wait to watch this repeatedly on blu-ray.  The atmosphere of the far off planet is beautifully rendered, and even details such as their space suits have an elegance of design rarely seen on film.

The best feature of the film, in my mind, has to be Michael Fassbender’s David.  I mentioned how great he was briefly earlier, but I really do have to take the time to single him out further.  It’s bizarre to say that an android represented the emotional center of the film, especially as damning as that could sound (something without emotion, pulling together the film?), but I was amused by his attempts to become human, his obsession with Lawrence of Arabia, and how well Fassbender balanced the line between curious and creepy.  Coming into this film having to follow in the footsteps of Ian Holm and Lance Hendrickson, Michael Fassbender had a lot to live up to, and I’m happy to say he nailed it.

While I cannot sit here and tell you that Prometheus is as great a film as the original Alien (I feel like time and rewatches will underline that), I can say that it’s possibly one of the best sci-fi films to come out of the studio system in ages.  It has its flaws, and I cannot say it’s perfect, but the movie linked directly to my pleasure center of film, and never let go.  If you are a fan of the Alien saga to this point, or just love doomed tales of expeditions gone wrong, you will love Prometheus. I hope this isn’t the last sci-fi film Sir Ridley Scott can deliver to us, as in this one film he has demonstrated that he remains a master of the art.  Great work from all.