Archive for the ‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ Category

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Monday, April 13th, 2009

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)

Posted in 2008, Day the Earth Stood Still, Movie, Remake, Review, Science Fiction | No Comments »

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Monday, April 6th, 2009

A strange ship lands in Washington with a warning to Earth. Klaatu brings a message about war and nuclear weapons. Of course, he is shot by the army. Now, Klaatu is on the run and in hiding. He befriends a young boy, Bobby, and his mother, Helen. Klaatu seeks out an Einstein like Professor Barnhart to help get his message out. He demonstrates his power by stopping all transportation on Earth (hence the title). Once the army finds Klaatu, he’s on the run again and it’s up to Helen to save the Earth from his giant robot, Gort. Klaatu Barada Nikto!

This is classic science fiction. No cheesy special effects or strange monsters from outer space (except for the robot). Klaatu has odd behavior, but not odd enough to stand out as a space man. The message of the movie is not overwhelming and works well with the story. Excellent acting and very good special effects (for a movie made in 1951).

The movie is based on the story by Harry Bates.

Recommended!

Director: Robert Wise

Starring:
Klaatu: Michael Rennie (The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936), The Lost World (1960), Batman (1966) as the Sandman, Cyborg 2087 (1966))
Helen Benson: Patricia Neal (Stranger from Venus (1954))
Tom Stevens: Hugh Marlowe (World Without End (1956), Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962))
Prof. Jacob Barnhardt: Sam Jaffe (Gunga Din (1939), Ben-Hur (1959), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Battle Beyond the Stars (1980))
Bobby Benson: Billy Gray (Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949), Werewolves on Wheels (1971), The Vampyre Wars (1996))
Mrs. Barley: Frances Bavier
Gort: Lock Martin (Invaders from Mars (1953), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957))

Memorable Lines: “I’m impatient with stupidity.“
“Klaatu barada nikto!“

Posted in 1950, Black and White, Classic, Day the Earth Stood Still, Klaatu barada nikto, Movie, Old, Recommended, Review, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction | No Comments »