The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Director:

Scott Derrickson

Writers (WGA):

David Scarpa (screenplay)
Edmund H. North (1951 screenplay)

Release Date:

12 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

12.12.08 is the Day the Earth Stood Still

Plot:

A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Robot | Military | Scientist | Earth

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 21	8:00 PM	HBO
Sun. Nov. 22	12:15 AM	HBO

Cast

Keanu Reeves	...	Klaatu
Jennifer Connelly	...	Helen Benson
Kathy Bates	...	Regina Jackson
Jaden Smith	...	Jacob Benson
John Cleese	...	Professor Barnhardt
Jon Hamm	...	Michael Granier
Kyle Chandler	...	John Driscoll
Robert Knepper	...	Colonel
James Hong	...	Mr. Wu
John Rothman	...	Dr. Myron
Sunita Prasad	...	Rouhani
Juan Riedinger	...	William Kwan
Sam Gilroy	...	Tom
Tanya Champoux	...	Isabel
Rukiya Bernard	...	Student

Also Known As:

D.T.E.S.S. (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
The Day the Earth Stood Still: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44866) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:PG | Norway:11 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | Czech Republic:12 | Malaysia:U | Sweden:11 | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | South Africa:10V | Brazil:10 | Taiwan:GP | Peru:PT | Netherlands:12 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The design of Gort is similar to his original portrayal in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), but Gort is now a biological form rather than mechanical, as Scott Derrickson considered some extraterrestrial races would develop advanced biological forces instead of technology.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Helen takes Klaatu to the forest, the policeman remarks that they are located off I-67. There is no Interstate 67 in New Jersey or anywhere else.

Quotes:

Professor Barnhardt: There must be alternatives. You must have some technology that could solve our problem.
Klaatu: Your problem is not technology. The problem is you. You lack the will to change.
Professor Barnhardt: Then help us change.
Klaatu: I cannot change your nature. You treat the world as you treat each other.
Professor Barnhardt: But every civilization reaches a crisis point eventually.
Klaatu: Most of them don't make it.
Professor Barnhardt: Yours did. How?
Klaatu: Our sun was dying. We had to evolve in order to survive.
Professor Barnhardt: So it was only when your world was threated with destruction that you became what you are now.
Klaatu: Yes.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References "Shin seiki evangerion" (1995)

Soundtrack:

On the Radio

A really good try, but what starts out as something potentially great ends up only a little above average

Yes, this is yet another remake from the "Hollywood Machine," and as with all others that came before it, the announcement of this one was met with anger from film buffs all over. The original, nearly 60 years old, is considered a classic of Scientific Fiction. I myself have yet to see it, so I can't compare the two, but I didn't mind that this was a remake and went into it with an open mind. The film showed great promise. An all-star cast, a talented director who seems to get better with each film, striking visuals, and a good premise. Now this of course isn't the first of the 1950s Sci-Fi flicks to get remake.

In 2005 we saw a new 'War of the Worlds' and in 2007 a third update of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' in the simply titled 'The Invasion.' Both have their supporters, but neither really did that well at the box office and reviews were mixed, especially for the latter. But I guess they both did well enough that other studios felt updating other genre classics was a smart move. Come 2008 we have this latest addition and so far it too hasn't sparked too much excitement and after seeing it for myself, I can see why. The film that showed so much promise, is far from failure, but will not be thought of as a classic as the original is and always will be.

Pros: A stellar cast, great performances from all. Director Scott Derrickson showed promise in 'Hellraiser: Inferno' and has proved to be a strong force in the director's chair. He keeps things moving, handles the action well, and creates stunning visuals. Tyler Bates composes a strong score. For the most part the CGI is very good. Moves at a fast pace. Some decent action scenes. A few good shocks.

Cons: Sometimes the CGI is too obvious and hurts the impact of some scenes. Jaden Smith is a good actor, but his character is so poorly written. He's so rude and bratty. This starts out like it will be a film with more depth and substance than most, but is executed in such a simple and straight-forward way. Things wrap up too quickly.

Final thoughts: It's such a shame when a film has such a great cast, looks so good, has some good ideas, and isn't dull, but has such a bland script. So much more could have been done with this but instead of escaping the clichés and going outside of the box, the makers of the film played it safe and gave us something that looks good on the outside, but lacks substance. If you go in with low expectations and view this as little more than a popcorn movie with an A-List cast and direction you might enjoy it.

My rating: 3.5/5