But the film’s true legacy lies in its production:
"A masterclass in tension. While everyone talks about the water tentacle, the real horror is the Michael Biehn subplot. It’s a perfect film about the paranoia of the Cold War. The Special Edition is a must-watch for the tidal wave sequence alone."
: The film’s "water tentacle" (pseudopod) was a revolutionary use of CGI by Industrial Light and Magic , created by laser-scanning the actors' faces to mimic their expressions.