Prometheus
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: June 8, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 43 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
18
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJun 6, 2012
A magnificent science-fiction film, all the more intriguing because it raises questions about the origin of human life and doesn't have the answers. Read full review
91
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 6, 2012
Scott briskly blends the high-minded stuff with impressive boo-and-goo sequences, ratcheting tension in tight spots and dark caverns. Read full review
88
New York PostKyle SmithJun 7, 2012
Gorgeous set pieces thrill the senses, but there is philosophical inquiry as well. "Alien" was, after all, just "Jaws" in space, but Prometheus ponders where evil comes from and how it conquers its makers. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonJun 6, 2012
Though Prometheus follows "Alien's" story beats, it's a looser and less satisfying story, more intellectual than visceral, and not fully satisfying on either level. But in part, that's because it's trying to do so much more. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumJun 6, 2012
This is jumbo-size science fiction, with a handsome, impermeable titanium gleam - and a thick coating of creationism lite. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnJun 6, 2012
Prometheus is an unquestionable good time, one of the best big-screen science fiction accomplishments since 'Avatar.' Read full review
80
The New YorkerDavid DenbyJun 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." Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierJun 7, 2012
We are left, after all the propulsive action, with great turns by Theron and Rapace, and a tightly wound turn by Fassbender, whose eerie, poetically impish mechanical man might have burst from Bradbury's conscience. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirJun 6, 2012
I really enjoyed watching Prometheus almost the whole way through, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. It's an enjoyable thrill ride, slicked up with a thin veneer of Asking the Big Questions. But do its so-called heroes really have to be such blithering New Age idiots? Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 6, 2012
Prometheus is a good movie, sometimes very good. It's just not a great movie. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyMay 30, 2012
Although Ridley Scott's 3D visual feast is no classic, the oozing alien tentacles hit all the right sci-fi horror notes. Read full review
80
Total FilmJonathan CrockerMay 30, 2012
Flawlessly designed, with the beautiful 3D cinematography contrasting the clean white futurism of Prometheus' interiors with the black corporeal surfaces of the alien catacombs.

 It might not pack the unbearable menace or blazing horror of the saga's first two movies, but it utterly eclipses the last two. It's exciting, tense and fully impregnated for sequels. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenJun 8, 2012
There's definite mastery here, but it's hardly a masterpiece. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigJun 7, 2012
Scott seduces audiences with thought-provoking possibilities, then pulls a bait-and-switch, subbing in a familiar monster thriller and fiery explosion-fest. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversJun 7, 2012
The ending isn't squishy scary or deeply satisfying. Bummer. Otherwise, Prometheus – especially in its spellbinding first hour – kicks ass so hard and often that it's impossible not to be thrilled by it. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn LevyJun 7, 2012
Prometheus is breezy and comely and sufficiently clever to mitigate most qualms, and Fassbender, especially, is wonderful. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsJun 7, 2012
The real stars here are Scott's behind-the-curtain crew, who fill every frame with tech-savvy details and take the sets to another dimension with immersive 3-D imagery. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 7, 2012
The best of Prometheus is nonverbal and purely atmospheric: Fassbender's "Lawrence of Arabia"-loving character bouncing a basketball as he patrols the spaceship while his human cohorts finish up their two-year nap. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 7, 2012
Prometheus is the antithesis of the "big, dumb summer movie." Its visuals and special effects can stand toe-to-toe with any of the season's spectacles, but are audiences ready for something with an intelligent, thought-provoking screenplay where the action is secondary? Prometheus is flawed, but stupidity cannot be numbered among its missteps. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJun 8, 2012
It's a different sort of experience: a stately, somewhat plodding but endurable science-fiction saga. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJun 7, 2012
Prometheus, unlike its predecessors, does not wear its themes lightly. It pushes too hard for significance, which is dicey in and of itself for genre material and contrasts badly with the standard nature of some of the story's plotting. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 7, 2012
The virtuosity on display makes the weakness of the story all the more frustrating. I'll avoid spoilers here, but Prometheus kind of spoils itself with twists and reversals that pull the movie away from its lofty, mind-blowing potential. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJun 7, 2012
Ridley Scott has made two iconic sci-fi films, "Alien" (1979) and "Blade Runner" (1982). Trying for a hat trick with Prometheus, he comes up short. I'll say this much for it – it's not boring. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaJun 7, 2012
It is Rapace, the Swedish actress who gained worldwide recognition as Lisbeth Salander in the original adaptation of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," who ends up the true heroine of Prometheus. Read full review
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