The Day the Earth Stood Still is a remake of the 1951 film by the same name. While the original film had the alien, Klaatu, coming to Earth to warn against nuclear weapons, Keanu’s Klaatu is coming because of a more eco-friendly concern.
Released: December 12, 2008
Director: Scott Derrickson
Producers: Erwin Stoff and Paul Harris Boardman
Writer: David Scarpa
Starring:Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, John Cleese, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm
Synopsis: The alien, Klaatu, comes to Earth (after back in the 1920’s stealing some DNA and deciding to wait 60 years) to warn mankind that a meeting of intergalactic leaders was taking place “not too far from here” to decide Earth’s fate. Well not “Earth” exactly, but the people on it. Earth is one of the very few planets in the cosmos that is able to sustain complex life, and apparently the leaders of other such planets think that humankind doesn’t deserve it. We as humans are destroying the environment and intervention is necessary.
My Thoughts: I really couldn’t go into a more detailed synopsis, because really, this movie was light on plot. I have to be honest and say I haven’t seen the original, but I now want to. It has to be better. The graphics were very pretty, and Keanu is pretty easy on the eyes, but the story had more holes in it than swiss cheese.
Other than being pretty, I will say one positive thing about the movie. If you’re going to have an actor play an alien coming to Earth who is just getting used to speech patterns and how to express emotions, Keanu is your man. His usual fare of wooden acting and monotone lines actually worked for once. On top of that I don’t think he said “Dude” or “Whoa” even once! Can you imagine!? However his character was rather bland, and really I couldn’t care for Klaatu at all.
OK, two positive things. John Cleese is always a good addition to any movie as far as I’m concerned. However as the Nobel Peace winner for Biological Altruism, I wanted more of him in the movie. Other than a few choice quotes and getting help from Klaatu on an equation, he unfortunately didn’t add much to the movie.
Jennifer Connelly is given the task of convincing Klaatu that humans can change their evil polluting ways and that we’re all worth saving. Shouting “We can change” may work at an Obama rally, but seems a little lame when convincing an alien who can stop events that have been set into motion to kill all of us. It comes off as a little lackluster. As Doctor Benson, an astrobiologist, she didn’t give him one example of how we can change, what we are already doing to try and change, and why we are even worth saving. Her pleas didn’t even make me want to recycle. Maybe if she had shown Klaatu Wall*E.
After an “ark” collects samples of Earth species, Gort, the huge android bodyguard that accompanied Klaatu turned into a metal, human, glass eating swarm of weirdly timed locusts. These locusts, too small for the eye to see could disintegrate a semi and a stadium in mere seconds, but could take suspenseful minutes to make it through windows. I’m really not sure how I feel about that, but it feels somewhat anti-climatic that only after Dr. Benson reconciles with her snotty stepson played by Jaden Smith does Klaatu realize that the Earth is worth saving.
I wanted it to be more than what it was, perhaps, but The Day the Earth Stood Still, left me rather bored and unsatisfied. I knew I wouldn’t be getting much out of Keanu, but I thought perhaps this would be his best role yet. Instead I got pretty effects with practically no plot whatsoever.
My Rating: C-
