The Day the Earth Stood Still April 25th, 2010
Originally Written 12/16/08
I saw the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still on Friday night; luckily the movie theater was open. It was a surprusingly-good remake, though I’ll admit my expectations were pretty low. Even so, I liked it and found it pretty enjoyable. It was a good update of the original to the present political and social states.
I loved the tension and suspense in the first half of the film. Keaneau Reeves was an excellent choice for the role of Klaatu. Much like in The Matrix, his wooden and detached presence was perfect for an alien.
There were some dramatic elements and scenes which were too forced; the role of the annoying stepson being most of them, which was the main detriment to the film. However, besides that the story was engaging and interesting. It’s not perfect or really great, but a decent effort and a fun ride.
Update 04/25/10
The original movie is a classic sci-fi film that should be seen. It is definitely of its time, as it deals heavily with 1950’s red scare and fear of communism. That fear of forces from outside makes for good drama as the characters and audience try and find out what the objectives are of these strange and imposing visitors from another world.