The Day The Earth Stood Still

[slickstu]

Microbiologist, Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly), is conscripted by a US government task force charged with finding the solution to an impending collision between the Earth and an inbound cosmic entity. After an unexpected soft landing, said entity produces the alien visitor, Klaatu (Keanu Reeves), who is promptly shot by an itchy-triggered soldier. This act of human recklessness prompts Klaatu's guard-bot, Gort (WETA Digital), to wreak destruction on the human civilisation. Oh, how will we survive?

The original 1951 film on which this movie is based was an anti-nuclear film, so predictably the 2008 remake is a cautionary tale about the violence of humanity, our contemporary climate of paranoia and fear, and the destruction of the environment, all with a dash of anti-Americanism thrown in for good measure.

The film begins promisingly with a superb undercurrent of tension surrounding alien Klaatu's covert mission. Sadly this tenable tension gradually fritters away beyond about the 45min mark as the film slides rapidly into Roland-Emmerich-disaster-movie-nonsense much in the vein of The Day After Tomorrow. And by the time the films final thesis is revealed ("It's only at the brink that people find the will to change.") it's all getting just a wee bit preachy, although this seems to be director Scott Derrickson's style (if his previous film, The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, is any indication).

Keanu Reeves' special brand of emotionless (did someone say "talentless"?) performance fits well with his role here as the visiting alien. Jennifer Connelly does the teary-eyed "empathic" thing that she does so well as the kind-hearted microbiologist (we know she's a good person - she has an inter-racial family). Kathy Bates is perfect as the granite-hearted Secretary of Defense, surely moulded from the likes of Madeleine Allbright. WETA Digital work their trademarked magic in their meticulous realisation of the mechanical behemoth, Gort, with satisfying results.

There's some (almost) refreshing product placement - PCs instead of Macs, Hondas instead of Fords - and a scene virtually lifted from Good Will Hunting, whereby Klaatu and Professor Barnhardt (John Cleese) solve a complex maths problem in tandem, is kind of cheesy in a fun way but it's a stretch to call these positives. However, despite being significantly underwhelming from a critical point of view, The Day The Earth Stood Still does represent big dumb holiday fun for the masses (indeed the only one out of all the Boxing Day releases) and in that capacity, at least, it admittedly fits the bill.

6 out of 10.

[Padre]

i woulda prefered to see robots trashing the planet as opposed to a dust storm... but then we'd have remnants of WOTW...

[osci]

I like it, but then again I'm sci fi freak

[bambbbam]

I watched the original recently on Fox Classics.. what a great film! Interesting story with the "almighty" line they were forced to add in by the studio.

I think I will check out the new one, though Keanu Reeves doesn't immediately strike me as a great actor...

[rickove]

Just wished the giant robot Gort dished out a bit more death an destruction?the micro,swarms of crickets or metal insects do more destruction towards doomsday.Keanu fit the bill ok for a low emotion alien incarnation/replicant,we all love him in scifi flicks like Matrix an such.
Yeh does the job for a Xmas release Scifi flick,now some more good holiday releases!More please?

[z1gg33]

hated it with a passion. saw it a while back so don't remember it all. but that swarm of whatever it was . was stupid...
the whole film was dumb from start to finish.

just my opinion

[loanrangiel]

As a stand alone movie i enjoyed it apart from the crap ending, a few references to the original thrown in but the story goes too far off track when compared to the original. I first saw the original about 30 years ago and loved it so as a comparison it doesnt stack up but on its own merit it is watchable.

[BlackDuck]

~Keanu Reeves doesn't immediately strike me as a great actor...

I think that he must be a brilliant actor, He's managed to convince a lot of studios that he can act and that would have taken talent.

[hoe]

wrong thread.....