Movie Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Poster

My Rating:

This evening I saw the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still at Grand Cineplex, West Kowloon, Hong Kong. Another one of the movies from my Must See Movies list.

I never watched the 1951 original version of this movie and wasn’t that familiar with the main character, Klaatu, this time played by Keanu Reeves. But I do know about the famous phrase “Klaatu barada nikto”.

I do like Jennifer Connelly in Hulk and Blood Diamond, this time she also plays a scientist, Helen Benson, but with a much weaker performance. On the other hand Will Smith‘s son, Jaden Smith was almost perfect as he was in his motion picture debut, The Pursuit of Happyness. Although, through out the movie I felt Reeves was just doing his Matrix impression, which was a let down for such an experience actor.

In this remake the writer (screenplay), David Scarpa, updated the story to make it more relevant to issues that concerns us today. For example, the issue of world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Of course the specially effects were modernized to the level expected by today’s audiences.

They turned the plot around so that Klaatu” was shot right at the beginning and the phrase “Klaatu barada nikto” was spoken by Klaatu to Gort rather than Helen.

The best part of the movie was Smith which barely justify the 3 penguins I gave.