8 Overhyped Movies We Can Consider Fairly Now The Dust Has Settled

4. Prometheus (2012)

The Original Reaction...

rating: 3.5

Ridley Scott's return to the genre that made him a household name was bound to be overhyped, especially given that the trailer for his 2012 sort-of prequel to Alien ranks up there as one of the best trailers ever made. Was it really possible for Prometheus to live up to such a feat (props to whoever designed that trailer, by the way)? Sadly not, though I don't think it was Scott's fault as much as it was his writers, who went easy on the intelligent aspects that make sci-fi movies appealing to sci-fi nerds, and delivered a movie that asked too many questions and no answers. It's pretty, that's for sure, and there are some memorable parts, but it was sorely lacking. Now The Dust Has Settled...

rating: 4

I have to admit, on a second (or was it third?) viewing, Prometheus looks a whole lot better. See it separately, without considering its connections to the Alien franchise (which are tenuous at best) and you begin to view this thing in a new light: it's a dumb B-movie dressed up and masquerading as an intelligent sci-fi - though I'd add that wasn't done on purpose. Though Prometheus begs you to take all its theological mumbo jumbo seriously, it's better viewed as a straight genre exercise - laugh at the dumb characters and awe at the beauty of Scott's compositions.