The original THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is one of my favorite classic science fiction films. So when I first got wind of a remake I was pretty skeptical as to how good it was going to be, especially with Keanu Reeves playing the role of Klaatu and the guy who directed HELLRAISER: INFERNO (Not to mention Exorcism of Emily Rose as well), Scott Derrickson behind the camera. So my thoughts were a bit on the negative side. Still I did have a bit of faith that it would at least be truthful to the original, and it did.
In this rehash of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, an alien visitor named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) and his robot Gort land their orb like craft in New York City’s Central Park. While exiting the craft he reaches out to scientist Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) and is shot by a solder with an itchy trigger finger. The government sets up a hospital in the city for Klaatu to keep him alive. the security of state (Played by Kathy Bates) wants the doctors to bring Klaatu back to life so they can find out why he has come to earth. Klaatu, all better now, tries to communicate with government officials but senses them to be very hostile, and with the help fo Dr. Benson breaks out of the hospital. When they meet up later, he tells doctor Benson that he is here to save the earth, but not because something bad is about to happen to the planet itself, but to save the earth from the destruction caused by the human race. After going though so many stressful situations and witnessing all the destruction the United States army can cause. Klaatu makes the decision to have to human race cleansed from the earth. But Dr. Benson wants to prove to him that there is a kinder more gentler site to the human race that he has yet to see and that they can change for the better, with his help.
While I still think the original 1951 classic is still the better movie, I must admit that this remake is actually pretty good and does pay a lot of homage to the original script, but gives it a more up to date feel, with not only the story but with the effects and social issues as well. The story is a bit slow at the beginning but once everything is developed the movie picks up it’s pace and the action packed story begins to roll itself out. The movies dialogue is very detailed and at times can be slightly confusing, but in the end we get the point and see the overall picture of the story.
The movie has some decent acting, and I was surprised at how well Keanu Reeves was in the role of Klaatu. Reeves is always accused of playing himself in all of his films, but in the one he did actually have a pretty good performance. Jennifer Connelly as well as Kathy Bates were great as they usually are, both being Academy Award winners. Will Smith’s son Jaden also gave avery good performance as well. The rest of the supporting cast includes actors John Cleese as Professor Barnhardt, Jon Hamm, Kyle Chandler and Robert Knepper.
The film had pretty good production value and was loaded with plenty of visual effects. I personally though the set design was great, but found the orb like spaceships to be a bit silly looking. I would of preferred some kind of cool looking space craft, but at least they were able to update the look of Gort without making him look different from his look in the original film. On the DVD you can view conceptual artwork of the ideas of the way they though Gort should look and they all looked really horrible, so I’m glad they just decided to update and tweak his original look a bit.
The special edition DVD has a lot of special features which include Deleted Scenes, Re-Imagining “The Day” Featurette Unleashing Gort Featurette, Watching The Skies: In Search Of Extraterrestrial Life Featurette, The Day The Earth Was “Green” Featurette, Commentary By Writer David Scarpa, Still Galleries, Concept Art, Storyboards, Production Photos, and The Day The Earth Stood Still Digital Copy for portable media players. The DVD also includes a copy of the original 1951 classic as well.
Overall, While I like the original film better, this rehash of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is a pretty good movie. It respects the original and uses a lot of the key points from the 1951 classic and give it a more up to date feel, while adding more plot development to the story. It’s a special effects filled blockbuster and does have a lot of action packed scenes, but it ends on a positive, yet upsetting note that is sure to make you think about how we as human being do thing that are bad for our planet. It might make you think twice before you do something that is harmful to the environment. This is recommended for all fans of Sci-fi films and for fans of the classic film you might want to give this one a go as well.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
