The Day the Earth Stood Still is another remake of a movie, but updated with new themes taken from our present-day woes. The original made in 1951 was all about war and how we would be destroyed as a people for our violent and confrontational ways. In the remake we are scourge of the planet, destroying the planet; one of the few able to support life in the universe. Klaatu and Gort are here to wipe all humans and proof of their existence from the face of the Earth. Leaving the planet to the other animals who have been removed via glowing orbs in an ark-like move.
I loved the premis of the movie. But felt there was not enough science in the film. It was left to the touchy-feely “we can be good” storyline… that Klaatu sees us as something else after spending a day with a woman and her step son and decideds to save us. That after he is shot, had his orbs bombed and his giant robot friend Gort attacked and imprisioned. I don’t think so.
If anything were he serious about his mission he should have just taken a handful of humans and still proceeded to wipe out the rest of us. We are after all positively destroying the planet we are on and it is unlikely that we make the changes required any time soon. Partly because we like what we have, we enjoy our comforts. But mostly because we are driven to have more, at any expense.
That’s the extent of my rant, other than to say that all the cool effects in the movie you’ve already seen if you saw the trailer. The rest is all dialogue and filler. The movie could have been so much more and would have sent a better message had Klaatu gone ahead and wiped us out, showing only a handful of people at the end left to repopulate the Earth and to do it better this time round. Yes, I’m saying it would have been better had it had the bible story ending that Noah and his Ark produced.
I wish I could have the $80 I spent to go with my Mum and David back. Oh and sorry, one more thing… Hoyts’ Candy Bar sucks and is way too expensive…
Wait for this one to come to DVD or Blu-ray.