Review of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) by Jy S — 11 Apr 2009

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a science fiction classic. It is not because of razzle dazzle effects, but because of the story and message.This 90 minute tale of aliens and peace isn't necessarily all that deep and explanatory, however it is interesting.

This film doesn't believe in wasting time as it jumps right into the landing of a spacecraft. "Holy Mackerel! Call headquarters. Get the lieutenant." Those first lines say it all. Anyway, the movie immediately grabs interest, but leaves the answers to the more interesting questions to the end.

This means the rest of the film is buildup for the conclusion.During the movie, the dialogue is written in a way for the viewer to learn a little about alien lifestyles, while the human characters on screen think it is just regular conversation.

Pretty entertaining if you ask me.The effects are cheap looking, but it is decent for its time and the fact that this movie is black and white helps these effects look less ridiculous. Gort the robot is a little disappointing because it is easily noticeable that it is a person in a suit.

A quick note on the sound effects and soundtrack. They are nicely done and play a big part in making this movie what it is.The casting is a plus. Michael Rennie, while a little bland at times, is a great Klaatu and Patricia Neal is just fantastic.

There is just something about her voice that grabs my attention.The plot is fairly simple and the message is a little silly, but The Day the Earth Stood Still is an original science fiction film. "Klaatu barada nikto!".