They're good fodder for action heroics, but not the kind of antagonist that gets an audience's investment. Once things get started, it's an action film. This film needs clever flourishes to set it apart. It has none. The last half of this film is the stuff we've seen many times before.
Expendable characters appear just in time to die, there's action heroics, and explosions galore.
Also, there's quite a bit of Lesbian references. Not really positive stuff. Now, as a script, it leaves a lot to be desired. However, Carpenter has a knack for making what's on the page work onscreen. On screen, it seethed of energy and tension.