Too much build up and not enough payoff...

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2001)

Alien: **
"Alien" is said to be a classic. I mean, it's on the Top 250 list, so I thought it would be good. So I rented it. And I had a lot of problems with it.
"Alien" is about a crew in a space ship who find an extra-terristrial. Unlucky for them, it's not "E.T." it's a vicious killer. One by one it kills off the crew of Nostromo. Amongst the crew is Ripley (Sigourny Weaver) and Lt. Dallas (Tom Skirret).
My main problem with "Alien" is that there is too much build up and not enough payoff. The movie builds up and builds up for a final sequence which turns out disappointing. And, it's kind of predictable. I mean, who woulda thought that if someone goes looking for a cat by themself is gonna end up dead? The movie uses that formula a few times. The Alien itself is not impressive. You can barely see it, and when you do it doesn't look any better than the old "Godzilla".
Just because I didn't think it was a good movie, doesn't mean I don't like it. It's cheesy in a fun way, but I can't overlook my other problems. I respect the film. I also understand that they didn't have great computer effects back in '79, but they could have made the Alien look better. So, as for number 72 on the Top 250, I don't agree. But hey, that's just my opinion.