Review of The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) by Sergel C — 20 Jun 2011

Having to watch poor Jennifer Connelly drag some repellant child around the American backwoods while Keanu Reeves pretends to be from outer space is about as much fun as it sounds. Reeves is yet another of those actors whose career completely mystifies me as he simply cannot act. Even when trying to portray an emotionless deadpan alien, the range is simply beyond him and his character, which should be a mixture of menace and remoteness, is just dull, dull, dull.

Kathy Bates is little better, looking more like Mrs Slocombe's dowdy sister rather than some high powered presidential adviser. Actually, if Martians had just landed in Central Park, don't you think the President of the USA might just cancel the odd scheduled meeting and find out what was going on? There's also a baffling cameo from John Cleese as a boffin who basically comes out to say "Oh go on, give the human race another chance" before disappearing again.

Of course, this is a remake (rehash?) of an absolute classic 1950s sci-fi movie and while Michael Rennie turned up concerned about the world blowing itself up in nuclear war, Keanu has updated things a bit and come to save all the squirrels and bunnies from impending ecological meltdown. At least, I think that's the point. It's all a bit ambiguous.

The stand out image from the original is Gort, the all powerful robot that paralyses the US Army with his laser beam gaze. I have to say, he's been neatly updated for this version while remaining true to the brilliant original design. That is, until he turns into a cloud of lorry devouring aphids that scours New York after the army really piss him off with a big drill.

The originality of the original is lost here. While that was a real B movie classic this feels pedestrian and very run of the mill way. Sadly forgettable this update does little to honour the spirit of a flawless original.