The Day the Earth Stood Still

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, John Hamm, Kyle Chandler, Robert Knepper
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: After a strange alien orb lands in Central Park, an alien being (Keanu Reeves) emerges to determine whether humanity has the means to prevent its own destruction, or if he will have to intercede to save the earth- by destroying humanity.

Review:

Tim: If you have to remake a science fiction movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still isn't a terrible choice. In the last 50 years, the special effects have come so far that I was pretty excited about seeing this story updated. This movie comes close to being a worthwhile effort, but it just falls short. In many ways, director Scott Derrickson creates a beautiful movie to watch. The cinematography is amazing. The film's use of Earthy colors is a welcome one. Every scene just looks so crisp and amazing. Unfortunately, the movie itself is just too weak.

As I mentioned, the movie itself looks beautiful. The special effects are astounding, but wisely take a backseat to the story. The massive alien orb is stunning to see, and I really liked how it was portrayed here. It looked realistic, and chilling at the same time. I also like the update to Gort. This time, he is 28 feet tall, and looks incredible. There isn't a whole lot of action in this movie, but every scene involving Gort is pretty amazing to see. I also really enjoyed the nanobots sequences at the end, where semis, stadiums, and more are simpyl obliterated in mere moments. The special effects are indeed something to behold.

The cast is decent, but not too exciting. I really thought Keanu Reeves was perfect for the part (an emotionless alien? He was born to play this role), but his performance does leave a bit to be desired. He is decent as Klaatu and I really believe his heart was in the right place, and he really wanted this to be a success. I guess I would say that I was glad he took this role and I believe he did a good job, but he simply didn't knock this part out of the park. Jennifer Conelly might have been the best casting choice. She is believable as a scientist (although most of the film is spent being a stepmom). I liked her in this film. Speaking of her family, I was less impressed with Jaden Smith. I think he got the part more because of who his father is, and less on his talent. I'm not saying he's not a good actor- he certainly has some acting ability. However, I didn't like his character, and I wasn't very impressed with his performance. The movie grinds to a halt every time he is on screen, and even worse when he clashes with Connelly. I thought this was a major miscasting, and one of the film's biggest weaknesses.

The rest of the supporting cast is decent. Kathy Bates was fine, although not terrific. I did like John Cleese taking a more dramatic role, but I wish he had more screen time. John Hamm, Kyle Chandler, and Robert Knepper were good additions to the cast, but their roles were a bit too small.

The biggest problem with this movie is that the focus was too much on the special effects, and not enough on the story and dialogue. I loved this movie for its special effects, and the first time I saw it, I liked it much better. However, as I thought about it, I eventually was able to see past the eye-popping special effects to see that this movie is seriously flawed. I was disappointed in the result because this film felt like something special, but ended up another weak sci fi movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), War of the Worlds, The Matrix, Hulk