We went last night to see the new version of "The Day the Earth Stood Still". I remember the first time I saw the original, back in high school (don't ask: but it was several decades after it was released). There are reasons it is considered a classic; it is a wonderful reflection of the concerns and the pe
rspective of the time, which remain poignant across the generations. I had read a few reviews about the remake: they varied from bad to decent... now that I think of it, with a bit more emphasis on the former. But I generally don't trust reviews. So I went to see it; I figured how bad could they re-make the original? They had classic material to start with.
It turns out that they did mess it up. There was little resemblance other than the title and the characters names. In the original, one of the climax events in the story had been when all the power in the world was suspended: mechanical energy, chemical, atomic, potential, electrical (everything but internal body energy sustaining our lives, which would be a pretty good trick... actually also in the "exception" category were hospitals and airplanes and anything that needed power lest people die). The world had "stood still", in a show of the alien's power, trying to convince the people of the earth to be more peaceful lest we reap the consequences. The names of wars and conflicts may have changed, but their existence has not. The message delivered by the original was powerful and timeless. And an interesting reflection of the artistic expression of the time was that in spite of the turmoil caused by the alien, he went to lengths to be sure that no-one died.
The show of power in the remake is the beginning of our destruction. There is no "Klaatu Berada Nikto", because it is willingly set in motion. The destruction is intense, the deaths world-wide. The effects are electrifying. The alien is passion-less and angry: as he says, only his body is human. Little in the movie really is. It is, possibly, quite acceptable if one considers it a stand alone experience, if you've never seen the original; the makers had apparently tried to cash in on the name association. But it does draw comparisons with the classic, and the remake doesn't hold a candle.
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Comments: 33
I always fall into deep worry when they remake the classics.
Though Invasion of the Body Snatchers - both the original and the 70s remake with Margo Kidder I liked.
I read that they doing "Forbidden Planet" over.... I hope it isn't butchered either...
As for Keanu's acting: I will admit that I was not too impressed. It was a difficult role to work with, but I supposed he made a pretty good emotion-less person. That in itself was a bit of a break from the original; I do not remember the character being without emotion, just rigid.
I was worried about this; I knew they were going to mess up the message. And now I know they did, I won't bother to see it.
The message was really the whole point, and what made the movie different.
In the classic "The Day the Earth stood Still" Directed by the great Robert Wise who also directed "The Sound of Music and many more great film, The alien Klaatu comes to Earth in peace because Earth has entered the nuclear age and that aggression would not be tolerated, etc. These aliens created robots (Gort) that had power over them in matters of aggression where they could reduce a planet to a “burned out cinder” if anyone attacked a member planet.
Klaatu is shot out of fear, confined, and finally jailed. I don’t know much about the new version and doubt that I will see it. The original motion picture showed a superior being’s attempts for goodwill, peace, and truth through peaceful means, with a final ultimatum, “Learn to live in peace or perish.”
The original is inspirational.
When the original was made the world still built bomb shelters and had drills by hiding under schoolroom desks!
Good review though!!
Re-makes are always a sketchy proposition; especially in the Sci-Fi genre.
I've been enjoying a re-watch of the original these past couple of days. Our American Movie Classics cable channel has been showing it; and I DVR'd it for repeat watching, and the ability to fast forward through the breaks.
I'll likely not see this re-make until it hits the pay channels or comes out on DVD. Thanks to your review, I'll be able to wait more patiently.
The differing commercials I've seen for the movie have certainly teased me well. After catching the change they were making in Klaatu's message ("Here to kill you because you are killing the planet." instead of "Here to kill you because you are too aggressive") I've been wondering what similarities might and might not be included.
In the original, the only emotion other than seriousness that Klaatu showed seemed to be when he was dealing with the pre-teenager: Bobby Benson. Klaatu always smiled when dealing with the kid. It translated to me that Klaatu found reason for compassion and optimism towards the future of mankind because of Bobby.
I'm interested to see how this dynamic is portrayed and used in this re-make.
Thanks again for the review.
Merry Christma-Hannu-Kwanza-Solstice To All !!!
So, thanks for letting me know, that my decision was the right one.