Friday
12Dec2008
Movie Review - 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'
Friday, December 12, 2008 at 12:01AM | The Day the
Earth Stood Still
Starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer
Connelly, and Kathy Bates  |
It
is not necessary to compare
The Day the Earth Stood Still to the
original, released nearly 60 years ago. The first film was a reaction to Cold
War politics and nuclear proliferation as well as a rash of UFO sightings in
American skies since Roswell, which had been reported in greater frequency with
each passing year since 1947. It was also one of the first post-war science fiction movies worth a damn, setting the stage for all that would follow it, thematically and technologically, though it no longer holds much interest as a visual piece. But it was about something.
The new Day the Earth Stood Still is just a bad sci-fi flick, and they’re a dime a dozen these days. Rather than culling the important parts out of the original screenplay, the remake relies on those elements we see in most big budget disaster movies: There's a single parent (who doubles as the diligent scientist pivotal to our understanding of wildly elaborate tech talk), the government acting irrationally, and New York City being doomed.
Yes, just months after Manhattan cleared the rubble from Cloverfield, Central Park is again the site of an unwelcome invader. Emerging from a strange glowing globe is an alien named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves). He wants to save Earth, one of the only planets that can sustain complex life, but is somewhat indifferent to the planet’s selfish and abusive inhabitants. There’s a green message here, but it’s not too exploited or overly preachy, which is a nice touch. In fact, it's the only truly subtle thing about this rather hammy thing.
Reader Comments (4)
I agree! I saw it on the IMAX screen and it didn't help any. It was too slow. There was really nothing there to captivate my attention. Not even Keanu! That's sad.
I'd say that very agreeable. Thanks for the Post!
keanu reeves is perfect for these kind of films... he's a prop that eats, unable to really project any sort of emotion.
darn, i'd hoped to be entertained at least... oh, well... there's always the original to watch on dvd.
Does Jennifer Connelly at least wear glasses to make her look more like a scientist? You know like Denise Richards in that Bond movie?