It is possible, of course, that you saw an inferior cut of the film. It's notorious for having been recut several times over the years. The Final Cut is the one to watch.
I just saw the movie for the first time and had quite some expectations. It was the directors cut. And while the overall setting was interesting and there were quite good scenes in it, for me it was just too long and I found it quite boring. Mainly the awfully stretched fight at the end put me off.
Not sure if I should or want to revisit it after some time. As I also did not really find the sequel that convincing.
But it got me thinking in what people see in these movies which I can’t.
If you read Snow Crash before Neuromancer, you'll be bored by Neuromancer.
This is what I did, and I wasn't.
This logically reads right but I doubt is actually true for most readers
I accidentally started rewatching a different cut after having only ever watched the final cut. When that noir style voice over started going, I was so confused. It was so bad I was sure it couldn’t have been part of the film I had previously enjoyed. Researching it after lead me to the same conclusion as you.
Yeah I have no clue what I saw first. But the directors cut is the one I enjoy.