Grinch Platte Wrote:
Haven't seen it, but I had to share the Chron's writeup of The Day The Earth Stood Still, w/ Keanu Reeves. Sounds like a reaaaaal stinker.
The Day the Earth Stood Still: Science-fiction drama. Starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates and Jaden Smith. Directed by Scott Derrickson. (PG-13. 103 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)
You won't realize how much you miss the Cold War until you watch the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
The original film, released in 1951, was a response to bickering post-World War II superpowers and their potential to destroy the planet with atomic power. In the new "Day," humankind's poor treatment of the environment is the parable, but the results are soulless and boring. This was supposed to be the winter season's big special effects picture. So why does it make Al Gore's PowerPoint presentation look like "Spider-Man 2" by comparison?
In times like these, it's comforting to place the blame on Keanu Reeves, who stars as the stoic space alien Klaatu. But his wooden and disconnected performance (intentional this time) is maybe the fourth most noticeable example of bad acting in the movie. You know your script is weak when even Kathy Bates can't find a way to make her character halfway interesting.
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" begins somewhat promisingly, with microbiologist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) getting rousted from her home by a group of government agents, who are rushing to gather all the greatest scientific minds in the world. A flying object from outer space is going to hit Earth in just over an hour. How can this movie not be fun?
Things start to go downhill when a huge swirly ball lands and out walks spaceman Klaatu (Reeves) and his mechanical bodyguard, Gort. More than a half century has passed since the first "Day" came out, and the robot in this movie actually looks less convincing than it did during the Truman administration. Now Gort is basically a giant Academy Award statuette, painted pewter, with a one red shifting eye like the original "Knight Rider" car. As for Klaatu, his otherworldly powers fall somewhere between Mork and "E.T.," with "Happy Days" star Henry Winkler's mastery over appliances thrown in. (Klaatu doesn't pound his fist on a broken jukebox until it plays "Blueberry Hill," but he does hotwire a polygraph machine, Fonzie-style.)
After Klaatu shows himself in human form, almost nothing interesting happens. There are many sequences where people bark orders in military command centers and political war rooms, but rousing action is scarce. The best visual effects sequence, involving the destruction of Giants Stadium in New York, is already in the trailer for the movie. And while there are many conversations between Klaatu and his human companions about the health of the planet, almost no specifics are discussed. As a matter of fact, I don't recall the words "global warming" ever being spoken. It's as if Klaatu is simultaneously considering both the obliteration of our species and a run for political office. Agreeing with Gore doesn't play well in the red states ...
After watching this movie for 45 minutes or so, you may start to think that wiping out every human being on Earth isn't such a bad idea. Anything to get Connelly to stop shrieking, "We can change! We can turn things around!" over and over. She is awful in "The Day the Earth Stood Still," topped only by her grating onscreen stepson, played by Jaden Smith. It's bad karma to ridicule kids in movies, so we'll blame the director, Scott Derrickson. No doubt you've seen more natural child actor performances in episodes of television's "Small Wonder."
It's a shame, because the acting and directing was what made the first "The Day the Earth Stood Still" great. The special effects, as impressive as they were for the time, complemented the film's message but didn't overwhelm it. In the remake, the story seems to be the third priority, behind visual splendor and product placement. (In one unintentionally hilarious scene, Klaatu has a rendezvous with a second human-looking alien ... in a McDonald's.)
One more positive development for loyal Republicans: In a year where George W. Bush has taken a beating on the big screen, the president barely exists in this movie - instead, his bitchy secretary of defense (Bates) makes all of the stupid onscreen decisions. "Klaatu barada nikto" is alien for "Mission accomplished!"
-- Advisory: This film contains disaster scenes, violence and "Mad Men" actor Jon Hamm, who doesn't smoke in this movie but still does that distracting thing where he gets a really constipated look on his face whenever people ask him questions.
i read a review that said the best thing about the movie was keanu
because of his wooden acting, since he's playing a spaceman.
they said that will smith's kid is AWFUL.
Next time I will take a closer look at the poster and see if it's an asian chick or Kristen Bell in it. haha
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