Plot Astrobiologist Helen (Connelly) is whisked away to help the government when strange goings-on herald an alien landing. The giant sphere that settles in New York’s Central Park carries an alien, Klaatu (Reeves) who comes to save the Earth – but perhaps not humanity…
Review
There are certain things that people remember about 1951’s sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Stood Still: the ship, the robot, the endlessly-referenced phrase “Klaatu barada nikto”. With the exception of the latter, they’ve undergone some changes in Scott Derrickson’s remake. For a start, the Earth doesn’t so much stand still as panic and run for the hills. The flying saucer is now a gigantic pearl, its nacre an endlessly rushing hurricane. The previously 7ft alien is four times as large, his red eye hinting at Cylon in his ancestry, and he packs a lot more wallop than a mere heat beam. And where before the aliens landed to address the threat of nuclear war, this time it’s environmental catastrophe they’re fretting about. What’s strange about these changes is how closely the resulting film cleaves to the spirit of Robert Wise’ film, and how hard it is to dismiss it as just another remake.
Jennifer Connelly’s college professor is our way into these strange events: after a clumsy bit of scripting about a feared asteroid strike, her astrobiologist is on hand to greet the strange grey figure that emerges from the gigantic sphere in Central Park (how far the White House has fallen). That slimy mould splits to reveal Keanu Reeves’ Klaatu, an alien bureaucrat/judge sent to decide Earth’s fate.
There’s always been something a little otherworldly about Reeves – a sense of reserve that is anathema to these tabloid times – but his performance here is subtle to the point that you might miss it altogether, but it’s perfectly calibrated. This Klaatu is devoid of body language tics, trapped in a body he doesn’t understand, but still manages to communicate a profound sense of disconnect and determined objectivity with nary a blink – in fact, partly by not blinking. Next to him, Connelly is reduced mostly to reactions and the occasional bit of dysfunctional stepmothering of Jaden Smith’s grieving 10 year-old.
There are few surprises here – the trailer gives away one big reveal – but there is real tension and, for those who have seen An Inconvenient Truth, a strange sense of plausibility. We do stand on the edge of a precipice as it is, and frankly alien intervention might help.
Verdict A remake that does not disgrace the original, this is sufficiently different to stand alone and just as relevant in its concerns – as well as succeeding (arguably better) as a thriller. And after this performance, are we sure that Keanu Reeves is really human?
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Average user rating for The Day The Earth Stood Still
hollywood tosh
A promising openning scene that quickly decends into a didactic parable about how humanity is destroying the earth and must be stopped. With lots of references to biblical stories (the spheres: arks, the plague of locusts, klaatu walking on water, and bringing the dead back to life, etc.) sci-fied up into an independance day or war of the worlds style plot. Too little character development, too much running through the woods, too little engrossing story, too much cgi padding. In short: hollywood... Read More
Starts of well enough and the environmental message is timely but it simply doesn't build to anything like a climax. The CGI is quite ropey too. ... Read More
..................Is that it? After nearly three hours he simply changes his mind from a hug?! Not that wasn't a lovely scene cos it was and Lil Jaden is quite the actor. I would have preferred that he made it to the U.N that he would have made his case to more people - dvd case said effects were epic, WHAT EFFECTS? they were meagre in proportion. The fact it was all down to JC just didn't wash - there should have be a vocal change of mind like POTUS did in the day after tomorrow - yes it was c... Read More
A bit short......and a bit silly at times........but Reeves puts in an excellent and appropriate performance that makes the whole thing watchable and fascinating. Sufficiently different from the excellent original, my main gripe is that events rattle along a little too quickly, while the reponse of just about everyone bar Connolly's character is to attack or run from the visitors. ... Read More
Never seen the orignal so I came into this new without really knowing the plot. There are some tenseful moments in this, I was very silent watching this which normally for me I speak a little if nothing really is going on. Jennifer Connelly plays a good part here, looking after her mourning stepson when his father and her husband died while trying to figure out why aliens are coming on this earth and the reason is shocking. There are few known names in this which do a good job but Keanu Reeves t... Read More
I've never seen the original so this was just another movie in my eyes.
The plot was decent and it made you think about how we treating our little planet and how we may not have the right to do that!
I liked the way the tension was built when the spere descended and keanu came out. But Keanu was the only person who really shone in this movie. Jayden smith did well for his age but other than that, the movie was nothing special.
The ending seemed a bit to quick and simple and i dont feel... Read More
I love the original...although not in the biblical sense... The remake was ok, a fun film and Gort looked great. Yes..the big K is a liitle...ahem..emotionless but he's playing an alien who is...ermm...inside the...ermm..who's....look...he's playing an alien not doing Shakespeare!! Plot holes...in a sci-fi film? Well duh..if you want you can find plot holes in lots of films..they are after all only made up stories...they don't have to be realistic.. Some of you people are the sort who don'... Read More
...even though some of the characters are cliched and outrageously arrogant with a measure of stupidity thrown in. That aside this is an enjoyable thoughtful sci-fi which has a nice pace to it. It's not perfect by any means but it is certainly better than some of the comments on here. ... Read More
By no means the turkey it is generally though of as y The Earth Stood Still is a reasonable sci-fi thriller. Keanu Reeves was born to play an alien,there are some good CG visuals and effects sequences is probably more tension than the original and the cold war subject of the original is effectively altered to that of the environment. Unfortunately the robot Gort is ten times less effective as a CG being and disappointingly turns into what looks like a swarm of grey bees two thirds of the way ... Read More
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