The Day The Earth Stood Still [2008] (DVD)

This film has filled me with excitement for months. I'm not particularly against prequels and remakes. If people aren't happy about them, just dont see them. Its like people who whinge about endless repeats on television, or cover versions, you have the option not to view or listen. So therefore, my answer is the same to the critics of this film, especially if you haven't even seen it. For the record, I'm a huge fan of the original. Visuals aside, the 1951 version is a film that stands the test of time and presents a genuinely frightening and intruiging premise that speaks to every generation and every situation. In this update, Keanu Reeves takes on ...  Read the complete review

Director: Scott Derrickson Runtime: 103 minutes Rating: 12A Keanu Reeves stars as the enigmatic alien Klaatu in this remake of the 1951 science fiction classic. Something is hurtling towards earth sending everyone in government into a state of panic. Cue the peremptory abduction by the FBI of scientist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connolly) along with several other scientists who are all roped in as advisers. A mysterious globe lands in a park and out steps Klaatu and his indestructible robot Gort. Helen is the one who makes first contact with the surprisingly human looking Klaatu. She is the only one to feel any real wish to understand ...  Read the complete review

There are many things in the world we don't need. A global financial crisis, the war in Iraq and George W. Bush are just three of them. An addition to that list might be a remake of the classic science fiction film The Day The Earth Stood Still. But wanted or not, we have it. So, without regard for his own personal safety, your intrepid reviewer set off to view the latest in a long line of Hollywood remakes. Now, I admit I didn't exactly go into this with an open mind. The original film is an excellent, intelligent and highly imaginative approach to the theme of alien invasion. Certainly, it might have dated a little now, but the story is still so ...  Read the complete review

When I first saw the trailer for this, I must admit: I expected good things of it. It was only once the poor reviews started seeping through that I explored a little further and found out that it hadn't really been received very well following its initial box office success. Undeterred, I borrowed the DVD off a friend, and watched it with an open mind, willing it to defy its critics and astound me. Sadly, I found myself siding with them, as I struggled to maintain interest through what is essentially a sci-fi with good intentions and morals that completely lacks the killer punch. That Keanu Reeves is the lead role is no reassurance. The often ...  Read the complete review

***The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)*** I love films like this. End of the world, mankind pulls together kind of stuff. I was so looking forward to it, as I also adore The Matrix trilogy. I have to say that both myself and my children were a tad disappointed. ***What's it all about?*** Well the whole premise is great; it is of course a remake of the version made in 1951, but I couldn't comment on any comparison, as I have not seen the original. The film is centres on Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) who returns to earth on behalf of a group of aliens. He is accompanied by his robot GORT. It is revealed that he is here to inspect earth ...  Read the complete review