Badmovies.org Forum

Well, it isn't a TERRIBLE movie . . . but I can't recommend it.  Keanu Reeves actually makes a decent alien (mostly because he speaks in a monotone and has very little acting range . . . so he seems like he doesn't belong on this planet).  Kathy Bates is wasted in a stereotypical role as the Secretary of Defense.  I did enjoy many of the scenes with Gort, but there weren't enough of them to save this movie.  I think if they came up with a better climax (it's really pretty lame) it might have saved this movie.  But as it stands, it's pretty ordinary.  Watch the original instead.

I've already read two major newspaper reviews that mention its value as unintended comedy, plus hearing the combo of enviromentalism and what looks like a lot more violence than the original it seems a bit too silly (atomic weapons & space travel made sense as a threat/worry for aliens to intervene on, do Vulcans really care about Earth's global warming?)

I'm tempted to see it for the possible gaffaws but realistically the grey market should sort that out for a smidgen of the price.

CGI + Keanu Reeves = me staying away from this for my whole life...  :buggedout:

No offense, but the anti-CGI crowd are the Amish/Shi'ite fundamentalist Clerics of film fandom, quaint yet militantly stupid and/or narrowminded (not aimed at you or your general intelligence, just on this issue), but I digress. Still Keanu Reeves (probably the Welsh-est sounding name in the world, by the by) there were have solid, concrete, communal ground- a Kibbutz of opinon if you will  :cheers:

None taken. I'm not narrow minded or stupid, I just know what I like and that's anything that doesn't involve bland actors talking to a green screen.  :smile:

Sorry, don't know why I wrote that got into yet another 'debate' with a friend along the lines of "CGI? I'm boycotting this film, it will no doubt be a disgrace to humanity", he is a particular example of this view (He told me quite proudly he melted his 'reworked' additions of Star Wars after getting hold of the originals, I'm very anti retcon but still...).

So reimagine that moronic sentence with "I don't get why some people see CGI as disadvantagious (sic?) to a movie" and I'll save face  :smile:

I hate CGI!! and trust me, I'm far from Amish....
mostly I hate CGI because it is usually so poorly done (think of any Sci-Fi Original and you get my point).

As for Keanu Reeves....no, he isn't that great of an actor, but he is some serious eye-candy. :twirl:

btw, whats wrong with being of Welsh heritage?

I'm of the crowd that says that any movie starring Keanu Reeves as a character not named Ted "Theodore" Logan will suck to high heavens.  He had two non-Ted movies that I liked, though.  Freaked and Devil's Advocate, but the latter was more a Pacino flick.

Nothing but I like to imagine the quintessential Hollywood jobber is from the Va-lleeeeys. Alternatively being of Welsh heritage could be wrong due to the Keanu Connection itself.

I've got nothing against the Welsh, I live not far from the border and even have Welsh friends, some of them have jobs and eveything.

I think CGI has its place and can sometimes be a good thing.  Unfortunately, most movies today rely on CGI . . . and they usually still stink even if the effects are good.

I do agree that CGI can be a crutch as much as a propeller for a film's plot and scope, I just have a history of meeting people who see CGI as the automatic death sentence of films and view pie dishes on string as the holy grail for little more reason than it goes against the grain... of something. Hence the moment I hear "CGI is crap" or something to that effect I go:  :hatred: :lookingup: :drink: :hatred:

Judging from the commercials, I wouldn't bother watching this if somebody gave me the DVD.  It looks absolutely horrible.

About CGI: I know people on this site hate Titanic, but I think that's one of the better uses of CGI I've seen, mainly because you don't even know the scenes are CGI unless somebody tells you (example: any view showing the entire ship). It's just used to add to the illusion.

The Spiderman franchise might be another reasonably successful use of CGI (all the web swinging) though the idea of digitally replacing actors or stuntmen does give me the creeps a little.

As for Day the Earth Stood Still no opinion. Probably won't see it in the theaters, or at all at least until I've seen the original. Yes, that's right, I've never seen the original. Should I confess that in the OMG, you've never seen... thread?

my cousin asked me to tag along and see this with him today, it was aweful, we walked out after 45 minutes seeing as hanging out in the parking lot was more exciting....and that's saying something!

I'm probably going to be seeing this the day after Christmas (girlfriend and I are celebrating the season then, after we've both finished dealing with family for the season -- so the plan is dinner, movie, and gifts) as the girlfriend wants to see this...I've got the feeling it's something I'd be just as happy to wait until it's on DVD for, but hey, if it makes her happy...

Plus, if it stinks, when we walk out of the theater I can say, "Well, now we know why Michael Rennie was ill..."

from lewrockwell.com blog

:D I chuckled!

Anyways, yeah, I can't help but suddenly put it into the same league with the Transformers movie, even though I have yet to see "Earthy Still". Transformers had excellent special effects, but a weird cluster of individuals, including stereotypical scientists and such, and - I suppose - a silly storyline to begin with for a CGI-soaked movie. I get the feeling Earthy will be close to that...or maybe I'm just sick of disaster movies. Meh.

When I first found out about the remake I was kind of annoyed they had made it, but I figured I'd see it anyway.  The original was a classically good movie, and I had kind of wanted to see a modern take on the message.  I mean, an intelligent take on the idea of pre-emptively attacking a people based on a threat they may possess in the future could have actually been a good, even a powerful movie.  Even a hamfisted Iraq allegory with the aliens as the US would have fit the subject matter and potentially been interesting.

Then I heard that in the remake, we are being judged on how we treat the environment, not our warlike nature.  This just made me mad.  It ruins the entire high minded motivations of the aliens, turning them into just another of a series of movie aliens trying to kill us off for our resources.  Sure, this time they might want to turn Earth into a nature preserve instead of strip mine the place or whatever but the end result is the same.  Humanity would be gone giving aliens free use of the planet.  Sure, Klaatu will give Humanity another chance, but that just makes the motivation even more difficult to understand.  Seriously, if they don't need the planet, why the hell even come?  If they just didn't want to see the planet destroyed, then wouldn't coming in peace and offering clean technologies be a better way?  This is supposed to be an enlightened people, after all, and it's not like being dirty is an innate part of human nature like aggression is.  And, frankly, we are a product of this planet.  Eliminating us would not only be the worst environmental catastrophe since the K-T meteor strike in itself, but also pointless because we'd just be replaced with something just as bad, if not worst.

However, I will say the idea of an environmentally friendly apocolypse makes me laugh.  I wonder what the carbon footprint of disintegrating Man and all His Works would be. 

Oh my god but this movie sucks. Even ignoring the clumsy eco message of the film its just bad, and not in a good cult movie way. Keanu Reeves is out acted by the CGI GORT. His best moment is when he looks bemused after been asked by Bates "why have you come to our planet?". Probably becuase the director asked him to look bemused and he said "Huh?" They've shoe horned in "annoying child" as a plot device and honestly, the destruction of mankind would be worth it if it meant that little runt was killed. The only levity was provided by John Cleese in a cameo appearance as the heroine's (Jennifer Connelly) mentor. I however, along with the rest of the audience in the hall, burst out laughing at the unintentional instruction from Cleese to Connelly "don't use logic, persaude him with yourself" ie sleep with the alien....

bad, bad,bad.

First off I do not believe in man made Global Warming/Climate Change. It think it is a little egotistical to think that driving your car too much will cause massive damage to the planet. What is wrong with keeping it about having wars? Telling us we need to grow up and put away our differences and work together for a greater good is far better than "You drive your filthy cars too much." Sadly this is one role where Keanu's natural lack of talent is a benefit.

Secondly I can only see one way of me ever wanting to watch or own this film. That is if Rifftrax (MST3K guys doing riffs on big movies) does this when it comes to DVD.

Thirdly, the CGI. I've seen Sci-Fi channel movies with more convincing CGI than this. Gort looks incredibly faked. I keep think that can't be the final version. This is a big budget film. Look at CGI from Independence Day. That looks far more realistic. Hell Mars Attacks looks better too and both are 12 years old!

Yep, that's how I feel.

Here's my formula: KEANU REEVES = stinks.

I don't hate everything that Keanu has ever done, The Matrix was a good movie, and so were the two Bill and Ted movies.. those are the only things I can think of that he was good in. I'm going to stay away from this movie for a while...

I like the first Bill & Ted film and Point Break, he was awful in Point Break but that film kicks ass!  :teddyr:

Keanu will always be Ted to me.  In every role he's in, I want to insert "dude" after every line spoken.

Saw this today.

My plot summary:

Keantu: We're gonna, like, kill off humanity.
Intrepid Lady Scientist: Ah, c'mon! Really?
Keantu: Alright, okay, you Win.

I liked the swarm of little robo-locusts. It reminded me of THE EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC.

(http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr154/Raffine/Exorcist-Burton_l.jpg)