A bit overrated?. (my 100th review)

Rating: 6/10 (27 July 2004)

I bought this DVD, thinking it's a certified classic and that I'm bound to enjoy it immensely...seeing that I'm a big fan of sci-fi movies. After watching it, I thought I missed something. Was this really it?
After realizing my less-than-enthusiastic thoughts on what I had just seen, I immediately rationalized that I did just watch the movie 25 years later, and that there's probably no way I can get the effect that audiences had when it first released. So much has happened in movies nowadays, that I've basically seen it all. I appreciate what Ridley Scott tried to do here, by letting us wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more. It's Hitchcockian, and I'm a big fan of his. 'Alien' is more suspense than anything, it seemed that after the suspense is gone, and everything that was supposed to happen happened, and the alien was finally revealed in all its glory, there isn't much left to hold on to. For some reason, 'Alien' comes off as incomplete and, surprisingly, unintentionally funny at some points. I just couldn't get past the fact that the events in the film could've been avoided if it wasn't for the utter stupidity of the crew members. 'Alien' wasn't scary by any means. The alien itself is marvelous; I was always intrigued by the creature, just the look of it! Only a crazy mind could've come up with something looking like that.
I've read some reviews here on IMDb stating that the sequel 'Aliens' is superior to the original, I'll have to see that to decide for myself. Also, I only watched the Theatrical version on my DVD, maybe I'll be able to appreciate the Director's Cut more?although I read in the DVD pamphlet that the Theatrical version is Ridley Scott's favorite. Therefore, I'm giving 'Alien' a pass of sorts, seeing that it's a landmark in a genre that's been squeezed dry for so long now. Maybe with future viewings I can come to enjoy it even more, but my initial reaction is that 'Alien' wasn't what I expected. I can still appreciate it for the pioneer that it is, but it seems a bit overrated.
** ½ out of **** stars