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The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Directed by: Scott Derrickson Starring: Keanu Reeves Genre: Sci-Fi Run Time: 104 min. Release Date: December 2008 On The Web: Official Site Teaser: Movie Trailer Reviewed by Byron Merritt |
My all-time favorite film, regardless of genre, has always been THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951). Director Robert Wise — RIP — was one of the few directors of his time who could pull off such a controversial film. Wise wasn’t known for pulling any punches, regardless of the climate we were in. Examples of his stellar work can be seen all over his resume: WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, just to drop the names of a few of his more highly acclaimed films. I own just about every one of his films, including all the versions of The Day The Earth Stood Still (from Betamax to Laserdisc and now the Blu-Ray DVD release). I usually watch it a couple times a year, just to remind myself of just how good a film it was. The lighting. The clarity of the spaceship. The incredible challenge the story presented in a time when the threat of nuclear war loomed large. This is what great film making is all about. So when I heard they were remaking my favorite flick, I screamed and my eyes went red. Can’t Hollywood leave well-enough alone?! How could they possibly improve or even come close to the original? How do you improve or capture perfection when it’s already sitting there staring you in the face? I refused to see it in the theater. And when film critics began pelting it with subpar reviews, I can’t say I was surprised. What did surprise me, however, was that when I saw it sitting on my local video store rental shelf, I actually picked it up and brought it home ...where it promptly sat for several days, staring at me, daring me to slide it into my DVD player. Fine. I did it. What surprised me now was that I actually semi-enjoyed it. Not because it comes close to my beloved 1951 classic (it in no way does); but because it doesn’t try to mirror the original completely and gives it a more modern spin, this time shifting from nuclear annihilation to environmental disaster. Keanu Reeves (THE LAKE HOUSE) as Klaatu was probably not the worst choice for the role since he can play the flat affect pretty well. But his "dude" voice still came through to me on occasion and it grated. Jennifer Connelly (BLOOD DIAMOND) as Helen was another mediocre choice, not really engaging nor too put off-ish. Jaden Smith as Jacob would definitely not have been my first choice. He seemed over-the-top in his line delivery and I just couldn’t picture him as the naive kid (Billy Gray did a much more believable job in the original 1951 film). Although I really liked Jaden in THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (along with his father, Will Smith), I don’t think he’s quite ready to play such a role as this. He might get there someday, though. The special effects were pretty darned nice, though, and it was a major boon for the production that Weta Digital Effects was involved. Nice visuals. The tough — and now organic — robot Gort was impressive and completely CGI’d. The menace that he portrays was equally good in comparison to the original, too. So now the big question I ask myself is, "Should I have seen it on the big screen?" Hmm. Pondering that question now, I still have to say, "No." The original is the original is the original, in my book. It’ll never be replaced, nor should it be. Trying to redo it doesn’t diminish what the 1951 film was, but it’s a shame that the higher ups at 20th Century Fox thought they could remake it and do anything remotely close to justice of the original. It just can’t be done. But, as a stand alone film, this remake isn’t too horrible. I’ve definitely seen much worse.
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Image from The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
DVD cost: $28.73 Purchase: Tower.com (Blu-Ray) Film Review Stew Favorite? No. Stew Poo-Poo? No. Newsworthy: In the 1951 film, Klaatu instructed Helen to say the famous line "Klaatu Barada Nikto" to Gort in the event of his death, which she did. In this film, Klaatu himself says the famous line to Gort shortly after arriving on Earth, after being shot by the army. Movie Quote: "Your professor is right. At the precipice we change."
Other Actors/Actresses The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
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Images from The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
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