This film is an argument against anyone who says that remakes can't be better than the original. Spielberg's film had its problems, but it's nothing compared to the mess that is this one. It's so hopelessly a '50s film that, watching it today, one can't help but feel sorry for the moviegoers of that era - they had no idea what they were missing. I'm not the kind of guy that hates old films just because they're old, but I'm also not the type that loves them for the same reason. I loved The Day the Earth Stood Still despite its flaws, and I hated this. Well, maybe not hated. But definitely disliked it. The effects are groundbreaking, I'm sure, and there are some interesting themes and ideas that are brought up, but everything is wasted because of the terrible dialogue and even worse acting. There are some scenes and lines that are repeated in the remake, but they're interesting only for that reason in this film; much of this film is a throwaway. There are no interesting or even believable characters, there's no clear and concise plot to speak of, and there's a vicious right-wing slant on the whole thing. Fits right into the stereotype of terrible alien invasion flicks from the '50s, despite a better pedigree and reputation.

I actually liked it better than the remake. I'd give it somewhere in the range of B+/A-.