‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ Self Destructs
-----A remake of the 50s sci-fi classic of the same name, the movie looked promising. It had been awhile since a disaster film about aliens had surfaced in the mainstream movie industry, and I was looking forward to it. I really enjoyed the film too...until I saw the second half.
-----When an alien being lands on the unsuspecting Earth, he is immediately captured and scrutinized by the U.S. government. Following the story of Dr. Helen Benson as she finds herself on the research team taken to the alien, the movie starts fast and fun. Naturally, something isn’t right about the alien being named, Klaatu. He isn’t stressed and seems relatively calm. That’s when he escapes, with the conflicted Benson hot on his tail.
-----Keanu Reeves gives a surprisingly subtle and commanding performance as calm and collected alien Klaatu. His performance is well above what many consider his talent level, though I frequently enjoy his performances. His distant perspective and odd tone help the beginning of the film to be a lot of fun. Jennifer Connelly is Dr. Helen Benson in a role very similar to much of her other work. She’s good enough, and certainly not distracting, but the role is a character we’ve seen frequently from her. Jaden Smith rounds out the primary cast as Jacob Benson, Helen’s estranged step son. She married his father, who then died, leaving Jacob to take his feelings out on his relatively new step mother. The only other notable performances come by way of the consistently excellent Kathy Bates as government head-honcho, a bit role from James Hong as a fellow alien, and another bit role from John Cleese as the eccentric and intelligent Professor Barnhardt. No one does a poor job, but the script gives them little to work with.
-----The movie’s main falling out is the poor story that is both a cop-out and a weak ending to what started out as a thrilling, fast-paced disaster movie. As the film reaches its middle, it starts to slow, and by the end, the outcome is as unbelievable as the Browns winning a Super Bowl. The whole point of the film is for the Benson duo to show Klaatu that the Earth isn’t all violence and destruction. Their relationship is supposed to be the deciding factor. This is both ridiculous and unconvincing, as the rest of the world has no idea these events are taking place, and is just focused on the impending destruction of Earth. The destruction effects too, are mostly shown in the trailer and neither wow or entertain you. They seem dutiful and boring as semi-trucks and stadiums dissolve into thin air. Had the movie ended effectively however, I would have been able to forgive this.
-----The music is at times intriguing but ultimately, like most of the film, nothing to write home about. What could have been an effective remake of a classic turns into a conventional and forgettable movie that can’t sustain its momentum. You’ll be disappointed as the sense of mystery from the trailer fades, and despite Reeves’ best efforts, just about everything quickly fades into silver screen obscurity. I can’t recommend seeing this for even the most die hard sci-fi fans because the end product is so disappointing, especially after such a promising first act.
