+2
I can see where you're coming from and understand your point of view. I can see how Aliens and Prometheus might be more fulfilling experiences from a pure entertainment perspective for those who have a mindset for action movies and such.
Alien has definitely lost some power of persuasion with the years because of it's popularity and people would be more easily scared back in the 70's, it was a great cinematic feat at the time.
Alien is not particularly scary to me, I'm 26 old, but even if it was that wouldn't be the reason why I love it (it would add, of course), I love it because it's a magnificent piece of fine cinematic craft to an extent that neither Aliens nor Prometheus can match and I can't explain to you this in words in a simple way. Alien makes almost absolute sense the way it is and is one of the few works I have experienced which can actually transcend the mere sum of it's parts and become something greater to me. I'm going to cite here part of a discussion I had in another place where I describe why this movie works so well for me:
"(...) the movie is about atmosphere and suspense and does it with great technical competence and aesthetical beauty (noticeable influence from 2001: A Space Odyssey). It's simply accomplished for what it aims to be. (...) In today's general mindset the movie has much less novelty factor and power of persuasion than when it premiered in theaters, some scenes can look a bit corny today, but I see pretty well how it might have made quite an impact back at 1979. It's beautiful to watch and the amazing quality of the acting (really, all the actors here should be awarded, brilliant work), the sober and intelligent directing, the technical competence applied in all the scenarios, visual effects, sound and the sensible camera work really makes it believable and transports me to it's own universe making me feel like I'm watching a real and thrilling drama rather than watching a mere horror movie. It's rather difficult to put into words how it works for me, I can easily live it if I want to. Basically it has great power of persuasion because it's so well crafted in all aspects, at least for those who have never seen it before or forgot it like me. Even if it's just a simple "haunted house" formula applied to scify. (...)"
I love Alien and I find it one of the best films ever made not only regarding the horror genre, in fact the whole history of cinema (here I could be overrating, but it's an expression of how much I admire this work).