I don't know why there is so much hate for this movie. It's not nearly as bad as people are making it out to be. I watched this shortly after watching the 80s version, and I have to say that I enjoyed the new version much more.
This one was more briskly paced, even though the invasion starts later. They did a good job of keeping the story moving forward without getting boring at times like the original tended to be. Having said that, there is still enough character development to get to relate to the teens and what they're going through - though the original version did a better job at relaying the struggles and fears of the main characters. There is also a good balance between action and dialogue, with a few humorous scenes and also some nods to the original in the form of similar scenes done in different ways.
All in all it was an enjoyable film for what it is, and even though it had its far fetched moments, like the teens jumping down 20 foot heights more than once and just walking away from it, or the fact that the North Korean army could stage an invasion of the US (the original Chinese army version was more plausible), they didn't detract too much from the film. I would say give it a shot if you don't have unrealistic expectations given what kind of film it is, and you may be pleasantly surprised. I grew up in the 80s and think some classic films from that era should never be remade, but this one was an actual improvement over the original and I don't think it deserves all the hate it's getting.
