At the time, the epic scale of this production was unprecedented. The special effects are still awesome: those 50 mother ships that hover over the Earth's major cities anticipate Independence Day by more than a decade. Less so is the often-hackneyed dialogue. But thanks to their signature roles, the mostly no-star cast (most of whom would be reunited for a sequel and subsequent television series) have ensured themselves standing invitations to sci-fi conventions for the rest of their lives. Marc "Beastmaster" Singer is cameraman-turned-freedom fighter Mike Donovan; Julie Parrish is a medical student-turned-Resistance leader; Richard Herd is the Visitor's Supreme Commander ("Call me John"); Jane Bradler is Diana, the ravishing, but ruthlessly ambitious Visitor Science Officer; Leonardo Cimino lends dignity to his heavy-handed allegorical role as a Holocaust survivor. Look for a pre-Freddy Krueger Robert Englund as one of the aliens. --Donald Liebenson, Amazon.com