The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Synopsis: Renowned scientist Dr. Helen Benson finds herself face to face with an alien called Klaatu, who travels across the universe to warn of an impending global crisis. When forces beyond Helen’s control treat the extraterrestrial as a hostile and deny his request to address the world’s leaders, she and her estranged stepson Jacob quickly discover the deadly ramifications of Klaatu’s claim that he is a friend to the Earth. Now Helen must find a way to convince the entity who was sent to destroy us that mankind is worth saving–but it may be too late. The process has begun.
Genres: Science Fiction/Fantasy and Remake
Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
Release Date: December 12th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence.
Distributors: 20th Century Fox Distribution
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Jaden Christopher Smith
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Produced by: Paul Harris Boardman, Erwin Stoff, Gregory Goodman
Ooh Papi Says ….
When a modern filmmaker takes on a considered classic, they run the risk of embarrassing themselves and the material being remade. A true masterwork from the ’50s, The Day the Earth Stood Still is considered untouchable by purists like myself. Any remake is a disaster waiting to happen. The problem is I don’t recall the original any more, and I’m getting old so I can enjoy this enough to review it as a first.
When a huge spherical object lands in New York’s Central Park, a first response team led by members of the military and scientific community set out to explore its purpose. Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) makes contact with a strange being exiting the orb, but said creature is shot by a foolish soldier, mandating immediate medical care. Eventually, the humanoid-looking alien named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) explains his purpose. Mankind’s lack of environmental concern and overall violent nature has led other civilized planets to mandate the destruction of the entire population. While the Secretary of Defense played by Kathy Bates who is looking like Hilary, and wearing her traveling pants suit as if they knew Hilary was going to become Secretary of State, while the movie was filming – plans an armed solution, Helen helps Klaatu escape, and along with her stepson Jacob (Jaden Smith), she tries to convince the extraterrestrial emissary that humanity is worth saving –but it may be too late. The process has begun. Along with his robot side kick Groto – they are really unstoppable .
Unlike other recent examples of the genre, which trade ideas for indulgent CG special effects and interstellar shoot-’em-up antics, The Day the Earth Stood Still remains somber and serious in its approach. However it lacks the simple elegance and intelligence of the earlier film, and employs pointless action scenes to replace passages of dialogue. One of the big problems here is that, despite much exposition, the nature of Klaatu’s mission on Earth isn’t at all clear.”
The first 45 minutes concentrates almost exclusively on the panic that the appearance of an extraterrestrial orb has on the current world order. In between scenes of looting and mass hysteria, high-minded scientists struggle to keep the government (the U.S., specifically), from using its arrival as a War on Terror talking point. There’s even a reference to the effect such a calamity in the making would have on the fragile psyche of a 9/11-weary New York. Yet once Reeves arrives in his full human form, the movie grows more intimate. Many of the scenes stay centered between our space messenger, the intellectual driven to protect him, and an angry urchin of a stepchild who keeps interfering with the pair’s mutual self-discovery.
