Few films are fondly remembered over 50 years after their release, but 1951's The Day The Earth Stood Still is one. Compare that with the pointless 2008 remake. If that's very lucky, it might just be remembered 50 months after its release, but 50 years? Forget it. Like most 50s films, the plot behind The Day The Earth Stood Still is devilishly simple. A spacecraft lands in New York and an alien (Klaatu) emerges, along with a giant robot (Gort). Klaatu tells Earth humanity must change and lose its violent tendencies for its own sake. Humanity gives its traditional response to something new and unknown: it shoots and hunts it. What makes the film ...  Read the complete review

This is one of a number of 1950s science fiction movies forever immortalised in song in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW – in fact that opening line of that musical is “Michael Rennie was ill the day the earth stood still” in tribute to this, one of the best science fiction movies of all time. The storyline is as follows: Klaatu (played by Michael Rennie) is a representative from a group of planets who lands his flying saucer in Washington DC, wishing to spread his message of peace and goodwill throughout the world. However, a soldier wounds him and he is taken to hospital, from which he escapes, taking lodgings at a boarding house. Here he meets ...  Read the complete review

Hollywood has always explored the "alien landing with a view to taking over the earth" theme more than the "we are here to help" situation. The Day The Earth Stood Still is of the latter variety. Michael Rennie starred as Klaatu, an alien who had come to Earth to see if the violent humans would be able to put aside their petty world differences and thus not eventually endanger their Galaxy. To demonstrate his power Klaatu neutralises all electrical power for an hour except where it would endanger life, like in aeroplanes etc. This episode gives the film it's title. His space craft, the traditional flying saucer, touches down ...  Read the complete review

For some reason, this film is held as an example of great liberalism in its full-throttle condemnation of the Cold War. An alien (Michael Rennie) descends to earth to discuss Mankind's suicidal conflict, but after being wounded goes among the people to discover what humans are really all about. Like most films of the period, it's actually rather right-wing, in that Klaatu, the alien, basically uses the threat of an even bigger bomb to wipe out humankind if they don't behave. Hardly a great work of pacifism. This isn't to say that it's a bad film though - it's marvellous. Rennie's performance is beautiful, and the script is witty, even ...  Read the complete review

This is THE classic of the Sci-fi gemre. Made in black and white and starring Michael Rennie as Klaatu, an alien being who lands his flying saucer on the White House lawn. Patricia Neal (the wife of Roald Dahl) plays the leading lady. The plot revolves around the now hoary chestnut of first contact with an alien race. As always the humans react by trying to destroy the classic giant robot, Gort. Klaatu is forced to go underground in order to find out if we humans are worthy of joining a galactic civilisation. This intelligently written story has 'class' written allo over it. I urge anyone who has not seen this fim to do so immediately ...  Read the complete review