I wasn't a big fan of this when I first saw it, but it has it's admirers (including John Carpenter himself, who always seems to speak fondly of it) so was inspired to give it another go. And it held up surprisingly well.
Yes, the philosophy of the movie sounded like the rantings of some stoned guy who volunteers at a community radio station ("it's all about aliens, man, and they want us to conform and consume, man, and not think and buy things, man"); yes, the movie takes a long time to get going, the action could be explained as the delirium of an insane serial killer and the continuity often doesn't make sense (Rowdy Piper walks around with a lot of freedom for someone chased by super informed aliens and the police, no one seems to overhear gunshots going on, alien technology lacks consistent logic, etc.)...
But once the movie gets going it's quite exciting; there are plenty of classic one liners (eg "I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble gum"); Carpenter's direction has its usual pace and flair; I enjoyed the by play between Piper and Keith David, including their ridiculous fight, and the old school 70s pro revolutionary attitudes (which seem so novel today); Meg Foster has spooky eyes.
The film is admittedly silly at times and does try to be too clever by half - such as having an alien be a film critic who bags the work of John Carpenter - but at least it has something to say, something radical and thought provoking.
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