A FAMOUS movie poster once stated that "in space, no one can hear you scream".
However, you could park yourself at the other end of the galaxy, and still not drown out the sound of the hype trumpeting the release of Prometheus.
For once, the buzz gets it right. Acclaimed director Ridley Scott has re-taken the controls of the Alien series in assured and compelling fashion.
The many years of rumours have been proven correct: Prometheusis definitely a prequel to Scott's landmark 1979 sci-fi chiller Alien.
Nevertheless, this new instalment is best viewed as an epic repositioning of the franchise.
The memory of supremely silly follow-ups such as Alien Vs Predatorwill be obliterated permanently by the majestic visual scale and tremendous performances on display here.
A complex plot unfolds in the year 2093, where a corporate-funded space mission is under way to investigate the origin of mankind.
After a two-year journey, the 17-strong crew aboard the spaceship Prometheusland on a distant barren moon, where they happen upon a dome-like structure that clearly does not belong there.
Once inside a maze-like arrangement of caves and tunnels, the visitors experience a sequence of terrifying phenomena hinted at in the first Alien film.
What starts out as an honourable quest for knowledge gradually becomes a desperate fight for survival.
In the tradition forged by Sigourney Weaver's immortal Ripley in the first two Alienoutings, it is a steel-willed, independent female that stands the best chance of beating the terrifying odds. The original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Noomi Rapace, truly impresses as Elizabeth Shaw, a feisty British archaeologist who makes a discovery that takes her and partner Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) all the way from the Scottish Highlands to another solar system.
On a visual level, Prometheustruly delivers upon all expectations, with superb creature design and some of the best uses of 3D since Avatar.
Unlike many of the spectacle-driven event pictures of today, there isn't a single, superfluous frame to be found here. As overwhelming as some of the effects often become, it is all for the greater good. Prometheuseffortlessly transports viewers to another world, and keeps them there. The illusion is never broken.
The cast of Prometheusis exceptionally strong, with Idris Elba (an eccentric spaceship captain), Charlize Theron (as a pretentious company rep) and a scene-stealing Michael Fassbender (as an android with a secret agenda) the standouts.
Australia's Guy Pearce also has a key part in proceedings. However, viewers will have to strain hard to recognise him under some very convincing ageing make-up work.
If there is a sticking point for those who are not die-hard followers of all things Alien, it could be an erratic screenplay.
The story told here sometimes lacks both the clarity and urgency many would expect of a blockbuster film.
Fans hungering for the graphic and spectacular shocks of the original Alien films will have to be patient. The great gross-out factor takes a while to kick in. But when it does, you will satisfied with the results.
The sheer ambition at work throughout Prometheusmakes the occasional scripting hiccup a forgivable flaw.
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