Remakes are a dime-a-dozen as I've said before. I do have to acknowledge that sometimes, a remake may be necessary to cater to a new generation. It has been some years ago since last I saw Robert Wise's 1951 original and I have to admit I didn't re-watch it before exposing myself to this 2008 remake helmed by Scott Derrickson. Many have considered the 1951 original film to be a true masterpiece, and belongs in the ranks of the most celebrated motion pictures ever made with "The Godfather", "Citizen Kane" and "2001: A Space Odyssey". Such masterpieces shouldn't be tainted by a mediocre remake, the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still" came at the right time, when the world was under the shadow of the cold war and feared nuclear holocaust. Let's admit it, Wise's cold war analogy is a little dated due to current events, any revisit to the material would prove unnecessary (or is it?). This 2008 remake is NOT as engaging and compelling as Wise's original film, and will not attain "classic" status but thankfully it doesn't hurt the original's legacy and its message may also be significant.
An alien object is detected in a collision course to Earth--impact point; Manhattan. Fearing that this event would trigger a great disaster, the U.S. government enlists the services of scientists to help with the aftermath. Astro-biologist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) is among them although she doesn't really deal with this type of matters. However, rather than the object causing destruction, a strange sphere simply lands in Central Park and a mysterious figure emerges, who is then shot by a trigger happy soldier. Spirited away by the military, the figure slowly metamorphoses into a human being or at least something that resembles one. Calling himself "Klatau", this alien being presents himself as a harbinger of destruction. What can the human race do to avoid extinction when all the United States military power is powerless against Klaatu and his gigantic robot?
The Earth is one of the few planets that can support complex life forms according to Klaatu and humans are slowly killing it. The film has strong elements of social commentary, ecological misconduct, human flaws that may lead to our destruction. The screenplay by David Scarpa replaces Wise's cold war analogy with something more related to our present time; humanity's arrogance in the way we see ourselves that we own this planet. The film does express a lot of thought-provoking ideas and a few collective truths as it possibly could. I rather thought that the U.S. being portrayed as the sole super-power and appoints itself as the representative of humanity as nicely executed, especially in the persona of the Defense secretary played by Kathy Bates. You see other leaders expressing their displeasure on this action and the fact that Klaatu was refused an audience with the U.N., it gives exposition that dialogue is sometimes the best solution and not the "fist-first approach". Unfortunately, the film seems to stop short in this exposition and settles for some perfunctory elements to take hold such as love, change and compassion that it almost wallowed with overused sentimentality. People change when in the brink of destruction would be the film's main theme; and Klaatu is here to save this planet, which means bad news to the humanity. "If the Earth dies, you die. If the Earth survives, you die". I know it's not supposed to be a "message" film, but it was obviously trying to provoke a reaction from the viewer. Sadly the way it got this message across isn't as engaging or enthralling in its narrative--that it felt like a simple device.
The direction by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) is decent and allows certain mind-boggling ideas to surface while not really holding back on the action. The film does feature a grand display of America's military might and once Klaatu escapes the clutches of the military, we become privy to a display of CGI effects, that revolves around another chase film. The special effects are quite good; as we witness landscapes and architecture decimated. The giant robot is a welcome change from the rubber-suited one in the original. The "GORT" (Genetically Organized Robotic Technology) metallic robot stands 50 feet tall and looks very menacing. The giant orbs looked impressive as seen in its trailers. The menace of the metallic insects feel a little forced, and we have seen this gimmick many times before.
Much of the film's burden would fall on Jennifer Connelly and I thought she performed admirably, then again, I've always been a sucker for her eyes. Helen's step-child is just so annoying and his character should have been left out. Kathy Bates' character has that bomb ‘em, "shoot first ask questions later attitude" and her character is knotty. I thought she should have been played more than as a simple plot device to set up the perfunctory obstacles. Keanu Reeves is his usual emotionless self, but this time this role suits him as the single-minded "Klaatu". I think Reeves is more a physical actor than an emotional one, well, this role is tailor-made for his "robotic" acting.
I think it would be unfair to compare it to the original but it does feel somewhat unnecessary for Hollywood to step into this "hallowed" area of the original. It is a very commercial film and Derrickson's direction played it a little too safe, I guess to avoid angering the audience with its supposed commentary. It opts for a grand display of special effects than a plot that would really get under the skin of its audience. It missed some real thought-provoking potential by not exploring the concept of meeting a being from another planet. The original was a benchmark in filmmaking, and even promoted international understanding. This version won't even make a dent on its legacy but it is entertaining enough. It was better than I expected, but it just couldn't connect emotionally and will disappoint a lot of folks.
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" is a pseudo sci-fi action flick that offers nothing special but it would have been worse if Bret Rattner was at its helm. I do give this dvd release a weak recommendation given that you can get the original film with its 2-disc release (if you don't already own it) but this 2008 version gets a "Rent it" verdict. [3- Stars]
