My local newspaper (the Dallas Morning News) gave this remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic a savage review and a grade of D. I will be more generous and give it a C. It's a so-so film at best, but it was interesting enough to make me want to see what happened next. However, since I am an old movie buff from way back when, my curiosity may have resulted less from interest in this new movie than in comparing it with the original.
It is significant to note that both the original "Day The Earth Stood Still" and the remake are message movies. In 1951, the message was that violence and war must end and peace prevail. Today the message is environmentalism - that we humans have been and still are poor caretakers of our planet and face extinction is we refuse to change our ways. The updated message is so obviously a part of the current Green agenda that it seems more irritating than thought-provoking. Isn't the need for world peace still as valid and necessary as it was in 1951?
I guess the actors did the best they could with a mediocre script. I never felt much emotional involvement with the characters. But that seems to be a trend nowadays with the emphasis on special effects rather than writing. The effects in this film are satisfying in the sense that they meet the minimum adult daily requirements for explosions and general mayhem. I would have gladly swapped some of the attempts to dazzle the eye for a few scenes of genuine suspense.
An unsmiling Keanu Reeves plays the Michael Rennie role of Klaatu, the alien visitor, without any of the warmth that Rennie showed in the original. Jennifer Connelly stands in for Patricia Neal as the heroine, but the character is no longer an ordinary woman but an astro-biologist. Jaden Smith is the contemporary counterpart of Billy Gray as the heroine's little boy. This time around the little boy is African-American, a change that seems quite unnecessary to the story. John Cleese plays the part of the Einstein-ish professor performed in the original by Sam Jaffe, but he has very little to do. Gort is still Gort, but he is a much bigger robot. Unless I missed it, nobody ever says "Klaatu barada nickto" and the earth never stands still at all. Maybe I dozed off.
This remake is not a total waste of time, but it's pretty close. If I ever want to see "The Day The Earth Stood Still" again, I'll stick with the vastly superior 1951 version.
It is significant to note that both the original "Day The Earth Stood Still" and the remake are message movies. In 1951, the message was that violence and war must end and peace prevail. Today the message is environmentalism - that we humans have been and still are poor caretakers of our planet and face extinction is we refuse to change our ways. The updated message is so obviously a part of the current Green agenda that it seems more irritating than thought-provoking. Isn't the need for world peace still as valid and necessary as it was in 1951?
I guess the actors did the best they could with a mediocre script. I never felt much emotional involvement with the characters. But that seems to be a trend nowadays with the emphasis on special effects rather than writing. The effects in this film are satisfying in the sense that they meet the minimum adult daily requirements for explosions and general mayhem. I would have gladly swapped some of the attempts to dazzle the eye for a few scenes of genuine suspense.
An unsmiling Keanu Reeves plays the Michael Rennie role of Klaatu, the alien visitor, without any of the warmth that Rennie showed in the original. Jennifer Connelly stands in for Patricia Neal as the heroine, but the character is no longer an ordinary woman but an astro-biologist. Jaden Smith is the contemporary counterpart of Billy Gray as the heroine's little boy. This time around the little boy is African-American, a change that seems quite unnecessary to the story. John Cleese plays the part of the Einstein-ish professor performed in the original by Sam Jaffe, but he has very little to do. Gort is still Gort, but he is a much bigger robot. Unless I missed it, nobody ever says "Klaatu barada nickto" and the earth never stands still at all. Maybe I dozed off.
This remake is not a total waste of time, but it's pretty close. If I ever want to see "The Day The Earth Stood Still" again, I'll stick with the vastly superior 1951 version.
Nice review !
ReplyDeleteThe earth does stand still in the new version, at the very end. Klaatu, as he leaves, turns off the lights (actually he turns off all technology) and all man's progress comes to a stand still. He did say to the woman that if he let us live, our survival would be difficult. I suppose this is what he meant. It will be very difficult for 6 billion people to survive without any technology !
Also, I would like to point out that Klaatu is a strong allegory for Jesus in the new film. He comes from virgin birth (dna clone), he performs miracles, he even walks on water, and, at the end, he sacrifices himself for the environmental sins of man. What the significance of this is suppose to be is anyone's guess. Are the movie makers trying to imply that Jesus was an alien ?
-Robert