The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Scott Derrickson

Writers (WGA):

David Scarpa (screenplay)
Edmund H. North (1951 screenplay)

Release Date:

12 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

12.12.08 is the Day the Earth Stood Still

Plot:

A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Robot | Military | Scientist | Earth

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Keanu Reeves	...	Klaatu
Jennifer Connelly	...	Helen Benson
Kathy Bates	...	Regina Jackson
Jaden Smith	...	Jacob Benson
John Cleese	...	Professor Barnhardt
Jon Hamm	...	Michael Granier
Kyle Chandler	...	John Driscoll
Robert Knepper	...	Colonel
James Hong	...	Mr. Wu
John Rothman	...	Dr. Myron
Sunita Prasad	...	Rouhani
Juan Riedinger	...	William Kwan
Sam Gilroy	...	Tom
Tanya Champoux	...	Isabel
Rukiya Bernard	...	Student

Also Known As:

D.T.E.S.S. (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
The Day the Earth Stood Still: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44866) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:PG | Norway:11 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | Czech Republic:12 | Malaysia:U | Sweden:11 | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | South Africa:10V | Brazil:10 | Taiwan:GP | Peru:PT | Netherlands:12 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Gort's trademark eye beam is only used once in the entire movie.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Even though it is 2008, Klaatu's ship, being identified as "object 07/493" and "discovered just beyond Jupiter's orbit" could have been discovered in 2007 because, as Michael said, "At first, it was projected to pass millions of miles out of Earth's orbit."

Quotes:

Klaatu: [repeated line with minor variations] I need to get back to the city.

Movie Connections:

References AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)

Soundtrack:

The Goldberg Variations: Aria Da Capo and Variation No. 1

You know what's sad? 1951 had better special effects than we do!

So I was one of those people who was screaming no at The Day The Earth Stood Still remake, the original is one of my favorite movies. It's a terrific sci-fi film, probably the best to come out of the 50's era. I highly recommend it; moving onto the, sigh, remake. Keanu Reeves, mmmm, what on Earth about him scream alien? I guess since it looks like it hurts when his face expresses human emotion, he's what the director needed. But what I didn't appreciate about the remake is that it completely changed the story and the moral the first movie brought to us. If we were to have a remake of this story, at least it seems like in today's world it moral is more important than ever, that humans are just destroying themselves with all the technology and violence that we have created. Instead, I get 2 hours of Jennifer Connelly complaining to a stubborn Keanu Reeves on how much humans rock.

Dr. Helen Benson, a Princeton professor, and other scientists are hastily assembled by the government in order to formulate a survival plan when it is feared that a large unknown object is due to impact Manhattan in approximately 78 minutes. Nothing can be done about it because a vital military satellite has been disabled. It hits Earth and out of the sphere comes a being named Klaatu emerges from the sphere while accompanied by a large robot. Klaatu, a representative of a group of alien races, has come to assess whether humanity can reverse the environmental damage it has inflicted on planet Earth. In the frightened confusion, Klaatu is shot, but survives and is taken to a government facility. While recovering from his injuries, Klaatu is detained by Regina Jackson, the United States Secretary of Defense, and is barred from speaking to the United Nations. Klaatu manages to escape, and he soon finds himself eluding the authorities throughout northern New Jersey, specifically Newark and the forested Highlands, with Helen and her stepson Jacob. After speaking with Professor Barnhardt about how his own species went through drastic evolution to survive its sun's demise, Klaatu is convinced by Helen and Jacob that humans can change their ways and are worth saving The three go toward the sphere in Central Park to stop the machine from destroying the world.

So when I really think about this movie, it just makes me sad. I was going to be fair with the rating, but gosh, those special effects? For 2008, it seems like we got worse with CGI, the ending effects were just way way way over the top. Keanu Reeves is sadly the only convincing actor in the film...? Oh, my God, did I just say that? Not to mention, did Kathy Bates owe someone a favor? She's a terrific actress, why was she in here? I also love how Jaden Smith, Will Smith's son, is taking his daddy's footsteps in alien movies, does Will Smith come from another planet? Because it seems like that family is obsessed with aliens. I'm going to do you a favor and recommend watching the original Day the Earth Stood Still, believe me, it's so much better.

3/10