...is sufficiently different to stand alone and just as relevant in its concerns – as well as succeeding (arguably better) as a thriller.

This is a superbly crafted, landmark film which invested a much-derided - and frequently ludicrous - genre with a welcome degree of dignity and respectability.

The story skimps on the subtlety, but Klaatu compensates by wearing a look of paternal disappointment that suggests the cosmos knows we could do better if we tried a little harder.