A variety of words could be used to describe “Prometheus,” Ridley Scott's most recent sci-fi film.

“Powerful” is one. The visual and audio effects are the real deal. The budget was massive, but produced great reward. The size and stature of this project paid off in many of the epic scenes, but got lost in others. Overall, it's a massive achievement for the motion picture science part of this film.

“Powerful” also describes the portrayal of the characters. Coming from seemingly differing backgrounds and with different motives, all the actors conjure emotions and realities that are foreign and unheard of, adding to the impressive outcome of human and un-human connections.

Michael Fassbender is deft and surprisingly easy to relate to despite his android character, David. He is utterly captivating, as is Naomi Rapace, who plays one of the archaeologists who travels on Prometheus. Her role demands so much pain and suffering that it's impossible not to be put off by her anguish, but still she encourages an appreciation for a pure, human condition, and succeeds.

“Anticipated” is another word that describes this film. Ridley Scott helped define this genre, and in so many ways he is the premiere director of its genre. This movie's relationship to his masterpiece, “Alien,” also stirred audiences' expectations, and its constant advertising was hardly a help. Although it delivered much of what critics were anticipating, it left a lot of room for failure, which brings us to the final word.

Sadly “convoluted” is the main characteristic of “Prometheus.” The story surrounds the inception of the human race at the hands of engineers, who left us for reasons we don't know but are eager to learn. Not only are these motives never revealed, various questions and twists along the way also are left unanswered.

The movie is quite long, and when very little is taken away about the vast majority of Scott's agenda, the movie is merely frustrating. The deepest of topics are chosen and set in the beginning only to weigh down the plot and ultimately reduce the story's stamina.

Although “Prometheus” leaves much to be desired, it's still a lot better than most of what's out there, and is worth seeing.