I went and saw Prometheus today. I haven't followed Ridley Scott's career very closely, finding him pretty hit-and-miss. I loved Alien and Blade Runner when they both came out, and enjoyed Thelma and Louise thoroughly. Before Prometheus, those were the only three of his films I've seen in theatrical release. I don't remember being very impressed one way or other with Black Rain, just annoyed that it took the same title as the great Imamura film released the same year. American Gangster (2007) was... OK... 
I don't think I've caught any of his other films. But one thing I don't remember seeing in his films is a lot of reference to other films. I don't know if I'm just imagining it, but in Promethus I did. Besides, obviously, Alien, among the references I caught, or think I caught: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968; origin of mankind-leap ahead several millenia; very old man in bedroom), Star Trek (1966; captain at bridge with eager, dedicated crew), Sirens of Titan (1959; man, hologram, with dog), The Shining (1980; woman with axe at door), It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955; stop-motion-looking alien octopus-baby in the Caesarian scene)... And, yes, there's even a Pink film reference! The whole self-Caesarian scene is obviously a wink at the self-abortion scene in Zoku akutokui: Joi-hen (1967; released in the U.S. as Madame O). You didn't know Ridley Scott was a fellow pink movie buff, did you? Now we know!... (I'm joking of course.)I am truly amazed at the luke-warm reception the film seems to be getting from critics. I found it thought-provoking and moving, as well as a spectacular visual feast. After watching it for about half an hour, and being awe-struck, it dawned on me why I was more engaged by this film than 90% of the other science-fiction of the past couple decades: This is a science-fiction film about ideas. How original! Isn't that what they used to be about? Back before Star Wars et al. brought back "science-fiction" as fantasy, a la Buck Rogers. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but not at the expense of films with substance and ideas. The ideas, to tell the truth, aren't that new-- as critics like to pointed out-- and what new ideas have they come up with recently? But they are pretty fundamental ideas-- Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? That the critics complain that it doesn't give the answers just shows how stupid critics are. The acting is generally excellent (I didn't care for the punk geologist), but Michael Fassbender in particular, I think, is fast becoming my favorite new actor. He has elevated three great films now: Inglourious Basterds, X-Men: First Class and now this one, in which he plays, basically, a walking HAL 9000. The film score by Marc Streitenfeld was also impressive.
I was tempted to give this film 10 stars to offset the barrage of idiotic "dis moovee sux, man!!!"-type trolling it has attracted at IMDb. But at least it's good old honest smearing poop on the walls-type trolling, and no one could think it represents IMDb's position, since it is just user comment.
It's not the parasitic, face-hugger kind of trolling that takes over and zombifies a project, saps its life force, and turns it into its own worst enemy... the kind of trolling that took over Wikipedia, making it into a haven for bureaucracy, Wiki-cop-ism and Deletionism, and killing it as a place of participation for people with honest intellectual curiosity and knowledge... Yes, I see you hushing me there Maika-san, filling in for Miss Asato on her day off. I'll stop the Wiki-rant and get back to topic... I actually think I liked this one better than the original Alien. Alien had more shocks and scares, and it had more awe of the new, but despite revisiting an existing film universe, Prometheus lacks nothing in the awe-department, and is, I think, much deeper than Alien. I haven't seen it for decades, but after coming out of the theater from Alien, I felt like I'd been on a great roller-coaster. After Prometheus I felt like I'd been on a journey. Not quite ten-- which is Vertigo / Touch of Evil / The Searchers territory-- but I will give it a hefty nine stars.
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