So I watched this 2 days ago and then decided to watch the original last night.

The new one really isn't that good. The updated film technology certainly help the story elements the original perhaps couldn't do(like cell phones and faster communication in general) but it's counteracted by the fact that the movie doesn't take place on Mars anymore. There are nice throwbacks to the original(did you catch the woman while Doug was going through the TSA scanner?) but the original is just a much stronger film.

They're telling the same, but not exact, stories. The stakes just don't feel high enough in the 2012 version.

Original = Atmosphere for Mars
Remake = Stop an invasion

Not the same. In a time where sci-fi movies, alien movies, and lots of franchises that don't take place on Earth the idea to keep the remake grounded is puzzling.

Maybe they'll get it right in another 12 years, or just never remake it again.