I don't get the praise for this movie

I saw the remake first, which I thought was pretty decent, so I expected the original film to be superior as most originals are. However after watching this I was surprised at how underwhelming it was. I found myself constantly comparing it to the remake and understanding why there needed to be a remake. Most of the characters in this are annoying and unlikable. A lot of the interactions and behavior I found strange.

The pilot Towns is a very unlikable person I couldn't believe they made him the main character. Half the time when he's talking to someone he has a scowl on his face and he was an asshole to Dorfmann from the very beginning for no reason. Dorfmann is trying to save everyone and is obviously very smart but Towns immediately talks down to him and treats him like he's an idiot. Towns has no plan at all but would rather just sit around waiting to die.

I don't know if Cobb was crazy or mentally deficient but he was irritating the whole time. Why are we supposed to feel sad that he died? And why is a crazy/mentally deficient person allowed to work on an oil rig in the first place? Five minutes talking to him and anyone could see he's not right in the head and not hire him.

Capt. Harris was a moron for thinking he could walk 100+ miles through the desert with only four pints of water. His willingness to sacrifice himself was admirable but meaningless if the mission's suicide. He didn't heed anyone's advice and was naive about everything.

George Kennedy's character could have been played by anyone and wasn't particularly important or interesting to the movie. The actor was wasted here.

Sgt. Watson was one of the more interesting characters. You were disgusted with him for his cowardice and malice in letting his Capt. die when he found him but in the end you could sympathize because Harris was a moron who got others and himself killed. But smiling when he knew Harris was dead was very odd behavior.

Crow was one of the most annoying characters in the film. I can't believe he was nominated for an oscar for best supporting character. His wisecracks weren't funny at all. I was waiting for him to get killed off. I would rather he die first than Watson.

Dorfmann was the most sane and levelheaded character. I didn't understand why Towns was so hostile towards him from the beginning. He saved everyone with his plan. He prolonged everyone's life by distilling the anti-freeze. But people treated him like he was eccentric or crazy.

The only characters that didn't get on your nerves were Moran, Dorfmann, Standish and the doctor although the latter two didn't have much to do.

Throughout the movie characters are wearing multiple layers of clothing in the daytime even though Moran said temperatures get to 120 degrees IN THE SHADE. People are wearing long sleeved shirts without rolling up their sleeves. They have their shirts tucked into their pants. It seems pretty unbelievable. If I was there I'd be shirtless and pantless.

I think the reveal of Dorfmann being a model airplane builder was handled more realistically in the remake. Here Dorfmann isn't ashamed and openly admits it because he knows there's no difference in principle between a model and lifesize plane. In the remake the Dorfmann character knows that the others would freak out if he told them he was a model airplane bulder so he tries to keep it a secret.

So I think this is one of the few cases where the remake outshines the original, if only because I didn't hate half the characters or because they were acting irrationally or idiotically.