DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008)

[lester1/2jr]

The Day the Earth Snored Still
Posted by Lew Rockwell at 09:08 AM
Because I love the Michael Rennie-Patricia Neal original, I tried to cut what I feared would be a disappointing remake some slack. How wrong I was. In the first movie, an alien comes to earth to warn us that our warlike ways, and advanced weapons, could threaten other civilizations, so unless we went straight, Rennie and his robot Gort would destroy the planet. (No libertarians, these aliens, though sound on the war question). Neal convinces Rennie that we can be peaceful, despite the Cold War military. The scenes of 1951 DC are wonderful, as are the script, the score, the actors, the direction, and the glorious black and white semi-documentary style.

In the 2008 version, a stonefaced Keanu Reeves comes to earth with his stonefaced robot, who ought to be called Gore, to wipe all traces of humanity off the planet unless we agree to go Green. Jennifer Connolly, who has shown telent elsewhere, has the Neal role. But to stop the wipe-out, humans must pay a small price: the permanent destruction of industrial civilization. She happily agrees, and we are shown scenes of oil wells, trains, etc. shutting down. That this Green baloney would mean the death of billions is unmentioned. Only two small bright spots: John Cleese is good in the Wise Scientist role played by Sam Jaffe in the original, and so is Kathy Bates, as the Madelyn Albrightesque defense secretary, though both are hindered by bad lines, like all the actors. The military is omniprescent and omnicompetent, and far more threatening than in the original, where it was bad enough.

Only one thing can save this movie, in a larger sense: drop the people who made it into the jungle for a year, where they can live close to the dirt, the bugs, and the weeds, without capitalism, industrialism, the division of labor, etc., and make a movie of that. Klaatu barada nikto.

from lewrockwell.com blog

[Terf]

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

: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.

[Kutter]

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. 

[Alan Laird]

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.

[Rattrap007]

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!

[Doggett]

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

Yep, that's how I feel.

[Allhallowsday]

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

Yep, that's how I feel.

Here's my formula: KEANU REEVES = stinks.

[darthchicken]

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...

[Psycho Circus]

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! 

[Mr. DS]

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

[Raffine]

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.