“Prometheus” is a big movie with some awesome images. Michael Fassbender’s performance is excellent.

“Prometheus” has things we’ve seen in sci-fi before: a planet (actually a moon) in a distant solar system with a hospitable atmosphere, a computer/robot who may have his own agenda and (of course) ugly creatures coming out of people’s bellies.

But it tells an entertaining story. And it introduces a few new things that may exist in our world 92 or so years from now, like an automated surgery machine—nice to have when you’re far away from Earth and your crew of 17 includes no surgeons.

The movie’s opening title sequence is a series of flyovers of stark, unpopulated landscapes. When viewed in 3-D on a large movie screen, the signal becomes clear: this is a movie with heft.

Noomi Rapace, Sweden’s Dragon Tattoo Girl, stars as a scientist who, with her colleague and lover played by Logan Marshall-Green, constructs the theory that leads to the mission to this faraway place. As they approach their destination, they and others aboard are awakened from suspended animation and informed that the mission has another additional purpose.

Charlize Theron is the boss of the trip. She’s an employee of Weyland Corporation, which is sponsoring the trip. During her “welcoming” speech to the crew, she introduces a hologram of old man Weyland, played by Guy Pearce. His really bad old man makeup job is the film’s worst flaw. (Were there no real old guys available? Kirk Douglas, maybe?)

Upon landing, the crew goes out to explore and look for signs that humans may have first come to Earth from this distant sphere. The monstrous dust storm that chases them back to their craft generates huge amounts of swirling debris that look great in 3-D.

Here’s where the plot really kicks in. Further exploration reveals answers to some of the movie’s/mission’s questions. This is where robot savant David, played by Michael Fassbender, begins to reveal all he knows. (His is the movie’s most impressive acting performance.) Be ready for terror, violence and creepy creatures.

“Prometheus” is positioned as a prequel to the “Alien” movies. It contains some of the elements of those films, but stands nicely on its own merit. It’s not the best sci-fi film ever, but it’s now on the list of very good, entertaining sci-fi movies.