Klaatu and Gort are back in this remake of the 1951 Science Fiction Classic. An alien, Klaatu, lands in Central Park with a message of dire consequences. He is shot and imprisoned by the military. With the help of Dr. Benson, Klaatu escapes. With the humanity on the extinction list, can Dr. Benson convince Klaatu to allow mankind a second chance?
Remakes of old movies and TV shows haven’t exactly been of the best quality lately (Starsky and Hutch, Dukes of Hazard). This one is the exception. The moral was kept and like the original was part of the story and not lectured to the audience. Some of the names were kept (Klaatu, Gort, Benson, and Barnhardt) and a few scenes were close to the original movie (Meeting Barnhardt, visiting the grave of the boy’s father). Overall this was a great movie and didn’t shame the original. They just needed to use Gort a little more, he was cool!
Recommended!
Check out our review of the original one: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Director: Scott Derrickson
Staring:
Klaatu – Keanu Reeves (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dracula, Matrix)
Dr. Helen Benson – Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth, Rocketeer, Dark City, Hulk, Dark Water)
Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson – Kathy Bates (My Best Friend is a Vampire, Misery, Titanic, The Waterboy, Golden Compass)
Jacob Benson – Jaden Smith
Barnhardt – John Cleese (Igor, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third)