Genre: Sci-Fi ActionDirector: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, Kathy Bate
Running Time: 103 mins (plus trailers)
In the original The Day The Earth Stood Still, released in 1951, an alien named Klaatu lands in Washington DC with an ultimatum for the leaders of earth; either destroy all stockpiles of nuclear arms or be wiped by interstellar forces. The film captured audiences in a time when suspicion of government and fear of nuclear war were at a historic high. Since then, the film has become a landmark of the science fiction genre, both for its message about humanity and its then groundbreaking special effects. This rather unnecessary remake updates the films message to an environmental one, but the premise remains the same. The film begins quite well, capturing rather chillingly the likely reaction the various world governments would have to a visit from extra terrestrial beings. It soon however degenerated into a very standard sci-fi outing with plenty of CGI and not much else. The most obvious thing to point out is that Keanu Reeves is not a very good actor, and this is probably why he was cast. The emotionless Klaatu is being called by some critics as the role he was born to play, although he will always be Ted Theodore Logan to me.
This movie, overall, is just really bland. The action sequences, of which there are surprisingly few, are generally unimpressive, and the complete reliance on fake looking CGI makes the special effects in this film often look more obvious than they did in the original. The story is very standard; it’s up to the single mother and her plucking young son to save the world from the alien attack before the bumbling politicians stuff it all up. All the characters, both main and supporting, are one dimensional; Keanu is the emotionless alien who learns about love, Jaden Smith the ungrateful stepson, John Cleese the isolated genius and Kathy Bates the trigger happy government representative who never makes the right decision. And speaking of decisions, the choices people make in this film are mind bogglingly stupid. A few examples: When you detect a massive object heading towards Manhattan, you should not send all the smartest scientists into Manhattan. When interrogating an alien prison, have more than one person in the room with him. And if you are sending people in to inspect an alien craft wearing hazmat suits, don’t send the soldiers in wearing nothing but their standard uniforms.
My two biggest problems with TDTESS, however, are the shameless product placement, and Jaden Smith. According to this film, every single computer in the world has a giant Windows logo on it, which is ironic given the uselessness of human technology against the aliens. Displayed very clearly in Jaden Smith’s bedroom is a poster for Halo 3, and even when her son is missing, Jennifer Connelly still has time to check the messages on her LG Phone. But my favourite piece of advertising was when Keanu Reeves and another alien make the decision to destroy earth…in a McDonalds. Perhaps the filmmakers where trying to make a clever statement about globalization and humanities reliance on mass production, but I sort of doubt it. As for Jaden Smith…I just really hate that kid. It’s not entirely his fault, as he was playing an intentionally unlikeable character, and to his credit, he wasn’t all that bad. What bothers me (and this is all conjecture) is that there were probably dozens of other kids who were better actors, but because he’s the son of one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, he gets the part. It’s nepotism at its worst. And a warning to everyone who grew up in the 80’s: His next project is a remake of the Karate Kid. God damn it, Will Smith has too much power, plain and simple (although apparently his new film Seven Pounds is terrible)
I certainly don’t recommend seeing this movie in theatres, as there is no way it’s worth twelve to fifteen bucks. I was entertained enough, especially by the first act, to say that if you see it at the video store, check it out. But don’t expect too much.
Gort, Klaatu barada niktoh!
