Andrew McMurtryREVIEW: The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)
December 29th 2008 12:12
“The Day The Earth Stood Still”. Well, what can I say about this movie? To all movie makers out there, the way to make a good film is to have a good story. “The Day The Earth Stood Still” does not. It is a rather weak attempt at a blockbuster film. There is a great moral that we as humans should take the earth for granted, that it is not our planet but rather a planet which we share with every other living being on it. But instead of really ramming this home to the audience the director has glossed over the message for a truckload of CGI, hoping to transfix the audience. Really he isn’t giving the viewer anything new to see and it is just another “end of the world movie”.
The story of “The Day The Earth Stood Still” begins with Astrobiology Professor Dr Helen Benson (Jennifer Connolly) being summoned by the government because an unidentified object is headed for the earth. Leaving her Stepson, Jacob (Jaden Smith) with a friend, she goes. It turns out to be a mass summons for many scientific experts. With not much idea of what to do to stop the object but oddly the exact landing site and a countdown to impact, they all go to the landing field and wait for it to land. It is a giant orb carrying a large metal robot guard and the humanoid alien, Klaatu (Keanu Reeves), who has to report back to the universal overseers whether humans deserve to continue to living on earth or whether they should be eliminated. I understand the irony of the Secretary of Defence (Kathy Bates) trying to defend the planet by attacking the orb while the fact humans are an irrationally violent species is the reason why they are there in the first place. It is then a race to convince Klaatu of humanity’s goodness and that we can change before the world is destroyed. It felt really corny by the end, especially by the beginning of the resolution of the story.
The acting in this movie, despite the movie itself not having much to offer, is ok. Jaden Smith was the standout for me. He was starring in big budget film and more than held his own against all of his cast mates. There are big things in the future for this young man. Jennifer Connolly was good in the main role of the film. There isn’t much I can say though. I got the feeling the director didn’t give her a free enough reign over the character. She also seemed slightly stiff. But she was still ok. Kathy Bates was the same Secretary of Defence that is in all other Armageddon films. I didn’t like her character too much because it was nothing new. It was a recycled performance. As was Keanu Reeves’ Klaatu. Keanu Reeves was funny early in his career when he did the “Bill and Ted” series. Now he is typecast as the emotionless drone type character. And this is what the movie called for but it’s getting boring on him. He looks bored by it on screen, like he doesn’t really believe in what he is doing and sending out into the world. Most of the blame for this film being like it is has to fall with the director because they have not really done a good job. Movie goers are looking for movies that have some story to them, not just CGI filled movies with corny, recycled plot lines. What is so frustrating is that anyone that goes to see this movie will be able to see the great story hiding just under the surface.
This is a film with a good message that is just done in the wrong way. You can’t take a reasonably flimsy story and hope throwing money at CGI effects will make a good film. I hope today’s film goers will be able to see through it. There are some good lines that talk about how we as humans are destroying our planet but there is barely any story. And one of the main moments of the film, when Klaatu’s mind is changed, is one of the worst realisation moments I have seen in film. The film is reasonably nice to look at though. There was a lot of money put into CGI and this has the effect of engaging the audience slightly but the story is just not gripping. Jaden Smith is very good though. I’d give this film 1.5 out of 5.
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