I saw this on TV in 1981 or whenever it was on. It haunts me still. It's tense and claustrophobic up close where this action is depicted (to wit, it appears mostly filmed inside the studio while taking place mostly outdoors), but the overarching danger is apocalyptic. The soundtrack is lean and terrifying. The B-actors (except for the chick who doesn't appear much) actually pull it off quite well once the action is in the field. It's the only role I've seen Rock Hudson play it straight, strained, dramatic, and quite human, and I am impressed.
I attribute the success to (out of necessity, given it's failings) a good script, direction, and theme. And editing I suppose to the degree I'm aware of it. I highly recommend it if, for instance, you like Carpenter's "The Thing" as it has the same mood about it that never leaves me. If you're a kid into mostly special effects, large-scale action, and other cartoons, or if you have no conception of what the Cold War was like and could have been like, you probably won't think much of it, and I understand that. But I liked it a lot.
I attribute the success to (out of necessity, given it's failings) a good script, direction, and theme. And editing I suppose to the degree I'm aware of it. I highly recommend it if, for instance, you like Carpenter's "The Thing" as it has the same mood about it that never leaves me. If you're a kid into mostly special effects, large-scale action, and other cartoons, or if you have no conception of what the Cold War was like and could have been like, you probably won't think much of it, and I understand that. But I liked it a lot.