Review of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) by Aaron D — 26 Sep 2009

With all this hub bub about the new remake of the Day the Earth Stood Still, I thought it would be good to do up a review of the film that this movie is remaking. Now bare in mind that I have not seen the new version but rest assured that when I do, it will find its way onto my journal aswell.

Simply put, Robert Wise is brilliant. The Day The Earth Stood Still(Robert Wise 1951) is a wonderful sci-fi film that falls under the sub genre of Invasion films. During the 50's it was widely known that it was "cheaper to make a monster than a city." This meant that it was much more cost effective to have the alien come to Earth, then for the people of Earth to come to the aliens. This is simply because to make a city required more work, time and ultimately money. The alien could be created, and set in modern day and would still be a hit. I love this film because of the feel. The underlying tone is very warm due to Klatuu's peaceful nature and calm demeanor. All the while one cant help but bee disturbed by the overall theme of the movie. Filmed following WWII and during the Cold War, the threat of an invasion ran ramped in life and was thus reflected in film. But enough with the history lesson.

The Day the Earth Stood Still follows Klatuu an alien who comes from a much more advanced planet who has come to Earth to deliver a terrible message. The Earth is read to go to war with itself, and this would disrupt peace within the Galaxy. The Earth must learn to get along or suffer the consequences of being wiped out by an alien group bent on preserving peace in the galaxy.

For an older film, it still holds its own in Cinema today. it should be viewed knowing the restraints of the technology of the time, but also consider how enjoyable it is. The lesson is solid, the acting is good, and the plot is enjoyable. I promise that you will love Klatuu and I think that the theme will transfer well for the remake. Klattu's easy going demeanor is easy to love, and his sidekick Gort is very interesting too. I enjoy how this film actually has a theme, and aims to do more than entertain. A child that Klatuu spends his time on Earth with, Bobby, is sure to make the audience wonder how all this war if reflecting on the innocence of a child.

Overall, I recommend seeing this before and after the remake. As I said, I havent seen the new one yet, but I doubt it will be able to live up to the high bar set by the classic. Possibly one of my favourite Science fiction films ever.