16: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

Why I chose it?


I had just finished some Christmas shopping and was at a loose end, thinking it was too early for Sunday dinner. I was keen to watch a movie but The Baader Meinhof Complex and Changeling were on at inconvenient times. So I was left with The Day The Earth Stood Still.


Where?


Shaftesbury Avenue, 6.30pm.

Comments?

I have never seen the original 1950s science fiction movie The Day The Earth Stood Still, but I had heard about it and the character, Klaatu and the image of the giant being with the laser beam eyes were instantly recognisable. The storyline wasn't, so I went into this remake without much of an idea about its plot.

The movie is quite entertaining, good special effects and an interesting premise about aliens landing on Earth to teach us humans a few lessons. It's a spin on the usual "aliens taking over the planet" and the annihilation of humans is kept to a minimum; at least initially. The appearance and purpose of the aliens' visit is revealed very early on, leaving the tension for the question of whether they can be stopped or not.


The problem with this movie, for me, is that it tries to avoid coming over all preachy and issuey but fails miserably; it could easily be categorised as another in a long line of movies whose underlying theme or moral revolves around the environment and how humans are destroying the planet. This is an important issue but the message is starting to dilute.


If it is delivered subtlety, (like in Wall∙E), it works; if it is delivered by an alien who admonishes the human race for raping the planet and orders complete destruction of all evidence of human occupation as punishment, we are in danger of treating the audience as a bunch of school kids who need a good telling off. When people laugh at dialogue meant to be thought provoking, you know the message isn't getting through. And you can't blame the audience for getting a little sick about being reminded about our impending doom if we don't stop using plastic bags or wasting water. The message is important, but it should not be delivered in this way.


And Will Smith's son is annoying.


Would I pay to see it?


No.


Rating?


5 out of 10


Post Movie Quote:


"Can we please lay off the remakes for a while? It's starting to look like there are no more original ideas left out there."