Blu-Ray Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Visually Intense Sci-Fi Remake Stars Keanu Reeves as Klaatu

Apr 18, 2009

Though a transparent parable on our planet's environmental issues, this remake of the 1951 sci-fi hit sadly misses many of the memorable elements of the original. 6/10

In this updated version of the apocalyptic film about an alien force descending upon the Earth to decide our fate, The Matrix star Keanu Reeves steps into the shoes of Klaatu, an interstellar envoy who arrives in Central Park, aboard a gigantic sphere of light, causing worldwide concern and panic.

It is the present day, and worldwide newscasts announce the arrival overhead, of dozens if not hundreds of flying spheres, each descending over major urban areas, their motive yet to be determined by world leaders.

In the United States, the largest of the spheres is headed straight for New York City's Central Park, quickly prompting the Secretary of Defense (Kathy Bates, Misery) to summon the armed forces and call in various scientists shortlisted for service, should a first contact ever take place with an alien race.

Among these scientists is Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly, He's Just Not That Into You), an astrobiologist teaching at Princeton. Though she is fearful of the arrival of the spheres, she is also distrustful of the government forces she is asked to assist.

When an alien being named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) emerges out of the sphere, a nervous trigger happy soldier injures the alien envoy, triggering the release of a gigantic humanoid sentry (later named GORT by the army) programmed to defend and protect Klaatu. As the robot is about to overtake and destroy the human contingent on site, Klaatu utters the words "Klaatu, Barada, Nikto!", stopping the giant before it kills anyone.

As Klaatu is allowed to heal from his injury before being thoroughly interrogated by the Army, Dr. Benson sets out to help the alien, believing him to be here in earnest, when he claims he is here to assess the damage humans have inflicted on the planet in the past century.

When Klaatu and Helen end up on the run from authorities, with Helen's stepson Jacob (Jaden Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness) along for the ride, it is up to Helen to convince Klaatu of humanity's ability to learn from its mistakes, when faced with an imminent threat, such as extinction.

When Klaatu tells Helen that there isn't much time to stop the world from being purged of life, both start a mad dash to prevent the spheres (and GORT) from killing us all.

Though some creative liberties have clearly been taken in this version so to update the setting of the story, the concept is the same, with aliens arriving to save the planet from its biggest threat: us.

The main problem with the film is its overly preachy green message (which greatly differs from the original, which focused more on our nuclear arsenal and mutually assured destruction), and a simplistic approach to the characters, which hurts the overall project.

Michael Rennie's ambiguous performance in the 1951 original, never showed any hints of either a good or evil character, and this worked much to the film's advantage. In this remake, Reeves' Klaatu is more emotionless menace than ambiguity, and leaves nothing for the audience to root for.

The one thing Keanu has going for him is his often mocked lack of expression, which somehow works well in this movie. His failure to emote on screen, helps us believe in an inhuman being, sent here to impartially judge humanity on its environmental abuse.

Jennifer Connelly would have much more to do if compared to her 1951 movie counterpart, but is reduced to the damsel in distress role, her character's expertise as astrobiologist having little purpose once she hits the road with Klaatu. Smith's role as young Jacob hits a similar snag, and he comes off as a whiny little boy who simply resents Klaatu's presence as a potential stepfather figure.

The definite plus on this Blu-Ray disc, is the display of visual effects used to convey both the alien presence of the spheres, and also GORT's much more menacing presence, compared to the foam rubbery version from 1951. This GORT stands several stories high, and his impassionate laser stare serves as a sufficient deterrent against any hostile action. Look for a brief showdown between GORT (who is stored in a holding silo for observation) and Kyle Chandler's Col. Driscoll, where the mere gaze of GORT following the man around the room through thick paned glass, is enough to give goose bumps.

The Blu-ray disc has some of the clearest audio treatment yet to be reviewed by this writer, with crisp visuals to boot. It goes without saying that a movie such as The Day the Earth Stood Still and many other sci-fi action pieces, will benefit the most from the hi-def treatment.

Skip the screenwriter commentary, the deleted scenes, as well as a useless "Build your own GORT" segment, and go to the set's third disc, which offers the original 1951 classic in full remastered Blu-Ray glory. Though nowhere as shiny as its modern day successor, the classic can still tell a better tale than its remake.

The copyright of the article Blu-Ray Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still in Intergalactic Films is owned by Dominic Messier. Permission to republish Blu-Ray Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.