These days it seems I’ve been watching nothing but remakes, reboots or adaptations. And say what you will about Hollywood losing all creativity, and I may even be inclined to agree; it would be nice to see something completely original that turned out to be awesome. However, on the other end of that spectrum, I love the idea of remakes; there’s a certain sense of expectation coupled with new technology, new filmmaking techniques and schools of thought, and classic tropes that add sort of an epic quality to certain scenes. When King Kong took to the Empire State Building in the 2005 remake (a very good, if a very long, movie), we all got collective chills. This sort of experience redeems the concept of the remake as far as I’m concerned.
Does that mean that I like all remakes? It certainly does not. Most remakes are done for the sake of remakes, and either fall short of the original motion picture, or change too much, or miss the point, or just plain suck. Is this the case with the recent remake of the Sci-Fi classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still? Follow along as I dissect where this movie wins, fails, or just plain changes for no real reason.
As always, my Batman & Robin Gradation Scale applies.
Story
We suck, apparently. Klaatu, an alien representative of a group of mighty space civilizations, comes to Earth to give us our final warning about our self-destructive, wasteful ways. Seeing as we treat the powerful alien and his giant robot companion G.O.R.T. with fear and Air-to-Land Missiles, he decides we’re not worth his time and initiates a doomsday process to kill us off before we kill the environment. It’s left up to astrobiologist Helen Benson and her unimaginably cynical stepson Jacob to convince Klaatu we’re not so bad.
Any Science Fiction buffs reading this will undoubtedly pick up on the difference between this film and the classic 1951 version. The original film had a very anti-war message, with Klaatu visiting us not to keep us from killing the Earth with our gasoline and our Red Bulls, but rather to keep us from pointing our brand-spanking new nukes up into the stars. Much like the original film was a response to Cold War tensions at their height, this film is a response to the ever-increasing threat of Global Warming. I really don’t mind this. It’s better and more believable than making it focus on something like the “war” on “terror,” which has been too prevalent in our media of late. The war message made sense back in the 50s, especially with the advent of nuclear weapons. It would be hard to make that message contemporary today. I feel for the people who complain that this takes on a more “green” message than it’s predecessor, but if you like the war stuff, watch the original. As far as making this movie feel contemporary with us facing a legitimate threat, this film basically succeeds.
I also like the ending moreso than the original *ducks as a glass bottle is hurled at him*. The original is classic, and it truly said something about the mentality of the time and what the filmmakers felt needed to be done to prevent us from blowing up the world, but from a purely cinematic and narrative standpoint, it’s somewhat anticlimactic. Klaatu takes the whole movie to tell us if we don’t behave, robots will kill us. In this new film, Klaatu gives us no such warning. He is planning to exterminate us. And even though the day is saved (of course it was, it’s Hollywood), he leaves the world in such a way that it would have massive implications on our society. This film actually makes humanity suffer some consequence for its actions. I think this works better as the ending to an alien invasion/extermination story. Though I must admit that this, too, was executed somewhat anticlimactically. Still, I’d say the story is fairly solid; it retains enough of the original while also being somewhat new, fresh, and believable to a certain degree.
Acting
I must say, Keanu Reeves was an inspired choice to play Klaatu. While his deadpan style of (or, as some would say, lack of) acting in most movie roles make him seem wooden and untalented, it works to his favor when he’s playing an alien sent to examine Earth on a logical and utilitarian level. He’s perfect, and the movie wouldn’t have been anywhere near as decent had he not been in it. He brings the character to life. Also, Keanu Reeves speaking Chinese in this same dreary voice was hilarious.
Kathy Bates plays one Regina Jackson, the Secretary of Defence of the United States. When I saw this character in all the previews, I thought to myself, “oh great, here’s the token bitch that’s just going to be evil for the whole movie for no real reason.” But I must admit, I was largely surprised with how subtle the character was. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she was a great big bitch. But she also clearly had a human side to her. She cared about the world and saving it, and even trusted the female lead to talk Klaatu out of killing us instead of just bombing him (that was, apparently, the unseen President’s job). She was largely unlikable as a human being and is an example of the destructive people Klaatu believes us to be, but much like he discovers in the entire human race, she has another side to her, to the point that I couldn’t consider her an antagonist. She’s a delightful surprise, guys.
John Cleese was in it, and he was great…for the five minutes of screen time he got. The hell?
Everyone else was mediocre to bad. GOD, I hated that little kid. When someone like me says, “Man, that kid’s really cynical,” they’re TOO cynical. Also, I disliked the subplot that he and Jennifer Connelly don’t get along. It was boring and entirely forgettable. Damn you Hollywood, and your useless subplots!
Special Effects
There wasn’t much in this field, what with the primary character being a humanoid in a suit. But what they did have was pretty damn good. I liked that the aliens used something non-mechanical to travel in. It’s a nice change of pace, and sort of works with their whole environmental message; their spaceships are clouds and their spacesuits are placentas. How much more carbon neutral can you get?
But the cream of the crop was Gort. I loved this guy. He’s a giant walking granite slab of kill your ass. When he first appears from out of the sphere and starts immediately ruining our shit was probably my favorite part of the movie. This thing meant business. It retained the essence of the original character (prop?) while at the same time removing all the campiness and replacing it with awesomeness. Also, this has nothing to do with the SFX, but I’m certain Klaatu uttered a gargled, alien “Klaatu Barada Nikto” to Gort in that first scene with him. Classic.
But besides this, it’s not an effects powerhouse, simply by the nature of the film. It’s got an alien swarm destroying Giants Stadium (oh no! However will society go on without Giants Stadium?*), but that’s about it. Still, the stuff they do use looks realistic and awesome enough, so you won’t be disappointed with regards to quality.
Music
Not really that good. Not bad, per se, but unmemorable. The original film had a classic 50’s Sci-Fi score. How hard would it have been to go with that? It would have been epically awesome. Or maybe they did, but Tyler Bates messed it up so bad we didn’t notice. Which is just as bad. However, the music played over the first part of the credits was cool. I just wish I could find it.
Product Placement
Noticeable, but bearable. There were just a few pointless shots of World of Warcraft and Snickers, and the film clearly had its mouth wrapped around Windows Vista’s proverbial schlong. However, I had really bad “Mac & Me” shellshock when Klaatu requested he be taken to McDonalds (“Take me to your McLeader!”). Thankfully, though, he did not don a bear suit and dance the Charleston on the countertop.
Direction
This is another one of those movies that fails to adhere to the auteur theory. I couldn’t really get a sense of the style of the director, Scott Derrickson. However, in checking Wikipedia, I see he also directed The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and I can say at least this; this film is equally as foggy. There’s never really a clear day in the whole film – it’s either raining or foggy or drab or swarming with tiny alien locusts. It’s not until the end, when the Earth is saved in more ways than one, that we really see a clear, quiet day. So I’ll give you that, Derrickson; you’ve employed a certain amount of symbolism that conveys the green message all that much more (which will make sense to you, the readers who have not yet seen it, when you see the ending yourself – so sue me for trying to be relatively spoiler-free this time!). Kudos. Also, kudos to your earlier, forgettable exorcism movie for being the stepping-stone to this realization. It had to be good for something.
Otherwise? He tells his story and it’s coherent, and while the rest of the world complains that there is no ending, I will defend you; there is an ending, it’s just terribly anticlimactic. But I get where he was coming from, so I’ll say this; his work on this was decent, and in very few moments, even chilling. Which is more than I can say for some of Fox’s recent body of work.
FINAL SCORE:
2/4 – Mediocre, with no major flaws or successes
This film, I think, is a worthy enough attempt at a remake of a classic. It doesn’t try too hard to amp up its source material or go crazy with the special effects; it mostly stays true to the overall feel of the original. It falters in a few places, but in my opinion, actually improves on some others. Overall, when I watch this, I think to myself “I’m watching a version of The Day the Earth Stood Still,” which is a basic success in my books. However, despite all this, the film is ultimately forgettable, with its cast of mostly sub-par secondary characters. It’s pretty bad when I consider the performance of Keanu Reeves one of the best in a film, even if it is because of some truly inspired casting. I still hate that kid.
The true test of this movie will be if its message will stand the test of time. According to Wikipedia, the original film was only moderately successful at the time of its release. As with all classics, it took a lot of time for it to be revered as much as it is, mostly because it said something truly poignant about its time. Will the remake fare as well? Does it speak of something equally poignant about us today? Only time will tell. I, however, will tell you that strictly from a filmmaking perspective, it’s worth a trip to the multiplex if you’re into this sort of thing. And remember, KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES!
(…oops, wrong movie)
- Silent G
*this joke was co-written by the talented Alex Colgan over at Endoscopy: The Musical (get back to writing, Al!)
Does that mean that I like all remakes? It certainly does not. Most remakes are done for the sake of remakes, and either fall short of the original motion picture, or change too much, or miss the point, or just plain suck. Is this the case with the recent remake of the Sci-Fi classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still? Follow along as I dissect where this movie wins, fails, or just plain changes for no real reason.
As always, my Batman & Robin Gradation Scale applies.
Story
We suck, apparently. Klaatu, an alien representative of a group of mighty space civilizations, comes to Earth to give us our final warning about our self-destructive, wasteful ways. Seeing as we treat the powerful alien and his giant robot companion G.O.R.T. with fear and Air-to-Land Missiles, he decides we’re not worth his time and initiates a doomsday process to kill us off before we kill the environment. It’s left up to astrobiologist Helen Benson and her unimaginably cynical stepson Jacob to convince Klaatu we’re not so bad.
Any Science Fiction buffs reading this will undoubtedly pick up on the difference between this film and the classic 1951 version. The original film had a very anti-war message, with Klaatu visiting us not to keep us from killing the Earth with our gasoline and our Red Bulls, but rather to keep us from pointing our brand-spanking new nukes up into the stars. Much like the original film was a response to Cold War tensions at their height, this film is a response to the ever-increasing threat of Global Warming. I really don’t mind this. It’s better and more believable than making it focus on something like the “war” on “terror,” which has been too prevalent in our media of late. The war message made sense back in the 50s, especially with the advent of nuclear weapons. It would be hard to make that message contemporary today. I feel for the people who complain that this takes on a more “green” message than it’s predecessor, but if you like the war stuff, watch the original. As far as making this movie feel contemporary with us facing a legitimate threat, this film basically succeeds.
I also like the ending moreso than the original *ducks as a glass bottle is hurled at him*. The original is classic, and it truly said something about the mentality of the time and what the filmmakers felt needed to be done to prevent us from blowing up the world, but from a purely cinematic and narrative standpoint, it’s somewhat anticlimactic. Klaatu takes the whole movie to tell us if we don’t behave, robots will kill us. In this new film, Klaatu gives us no such warning. He is planning to exterminate us. And even though the day is saved (of course it was, it’s Hollywood), he leaves the world in such a way that it would have massive implications on our society. This film actually makes humanity suffer some consequence for its actions. I think this works better as the ending to an alien invasion/extermination story. Though I must admit that this, too, was executed somewhat anticlimactically. Still, I’d say the story is fairly solid; it retains enough of the original while also being somewhat new, fresh, and believable to a certain degree.
Acting
I must say, Keanu Reeves was an inspired choice to play Klaatu. While his deadpan style of (or, as some would say, lack of) acting in most movie roles make him seem wooden and untalented, it works to his favor when he’s playing an alien sent to examine Earth on a logical and utilitarian level. He’s perfect, and the movie wouldn’t have been anywhere near as decent had he not been in it. He brings the character to life. Also, Keanu Reeves speaking Chinese in this same dreary voice was hilarious.
Kathy Bates plays one Regina Jackson, the Secretary of Defence of the United States. When I saw this character in all the previews, I thought to myself, “oh great, here’s the token bitch that’s just going to be evil for the whole movie for no real reason.” But I must admit, I was largely surprised with how subtle the character was. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she was a great big bitch. But she also clearly had a human side to her. She cared about the world and saving it, and even trusted the female lead to talk Klaatu out of killing us instead of just bombing him (that was, apparently, the unseen President’s job). She was largely unlikable as a human being and is an example of the destructive people Klaatu believes us to be, but much like he discovers in the entire human race, she has another side to her, to the point that I couldn’t consider her an antagonist. She’s a delightful surprise, guys.
John Cleese was in it, and he was great…for the five minutes of screen time he got. The hell?
Everyone else was mediocre to bad. GOD, I hated that little kid. When someone like me says, “Man, that kid’s really cynical,” they’re TOO cynical. Also, I disliked the subplot that he and Jennifer Connelly don’t get along. It was boring and entirely forgettable. Damn you Hollywood, and your useless subplots!
Special Effects
There wasn’t much in this field, what with the primary character being a humanoid in a suit. But what they did have was pretty damn good. I liked that the aliens used something non-mechanical to travel in. It’s a nice change of pace, and sort of works with their whole environmental message; their spaceships are clouds and their spacesuits are placentas. How much more carbon neutral can you get?
But the cream of the crop was Gort. I loved this guy. He’s a giant walking granite slab of kill your ass. When he first appears from out of the sphere and starts immediately ruining our shit was probably my favorite part of the movie. This thing meant business. It retained the essence of the original character (prop?) while at the same time removing all the campiness and replacing it with awesomeness. Also, this has nothing to do with the SFX, but I’m certain Klaatu uttered a gargled, alien “Klaatu Barada Nikto” to Gort in that first scene with him. Classic.
But besides this, it’s not an effects powerhouse, simply by the nature of the film. It’s got an alien swarm destroying Giants Stadium (oh no! However will society go on without Giants Stadium?*), but that’s about it. Still, the stuff they do use looks realistic and awesome enough, so you won’t be disappointed with regards to quality.
Music
Not really that good. Not bad, per se, but unmemorable. The original film had a classic 50’s Sci-Fi score. How hard would it have been to go with that? It would have been epically awesome. Or maybe they did, but Tyler Bates messed it up so bad we didn’t notice. Which is just as bad. However, the music played over the first part of the credits was cool. I just wish I could find it.
Product Placement
Noticeable, but bearable. There were just a few pointless shots of World of Warcraft and Snickers, and the film clearly had its mouth wrapped around Windows Vista’s proverbial schlong. However, I had really bad “Mac & Me” shellshock when Klaatu requested he be taken to McDonalds (“Take me to your McLeader!”). Thankfully, though, he did not don a bear suit and dance the Charleston on the countertop.
Direction
This is another one of those movies that fails to adhere to the auteur theory. I couldn’t really get a sense of the style of the director, Scott Derrickson. However, in checking Wikipedia, I see he also directed The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and I can say at least this; this film is equally as foggy. There’s never really a clear day in the whole film – it’s either raining or foggy or drab or swarming with tiny alien locusts. It’s not until the end, when the Earth is saved in more ways than one, that we really see a clear, quiet day. So I’ll give you that, Derrickson; you’ve employed a certain amount of symbolism that conveys the green message all that much more (which will make sense to you, the readers who have not yet seen it, when you see the ending yourself – so sue me for trying to be relatively spoiler-free this time!). Kudos. Also, kudos to your earlier, forgettable exorcism movie for being the stepping-stone to this realization. It had to be good for something.
Otherwise? He tells his story and it’s coherent, and while the rest of the world complains that there is no ending, I will defend you; there is an ending, it’s just terribly anticlimactic. But I get where he was coming from, so I’ll say this; his work on this was decent, and in very few moments, even chilling. Which is more than I can say for some of Fox’s recent body of work.
FINAL SCORE:
2/4 – Mediocre, with no major flaws or successes
This film, I think, is a worthy enough attempt at a remake of a classic. It doesn’t try too hard to amp up its source material or go crazy with the special effects; it mostly stays true to the overall feel of the original. It falters in a few places, but in my opinion, actually improves on some others. Overall, when I watch this, I think to myself “I’m watching a version of The Day the Earth Stood Still,” which is a basic success in my books. However, despite all this, the film is ultimately forgettable, with its cast of mostly sub-par secondary characters. It’s pretty bad when I consider the performance of Keanu Reeves one of the best in a film, even if it is because of some truly inspired casting. I still hate that kid.
The true test of this movie will be if its message will stand the test of time. According to Wikipedia, the original film was only moderately successful at the time of its release. As with all classics, it took a lot of time for it to be revered as much as it is, mostly because it said something truly poignant about its time. Will the remake fare as well? Does it speak of something equally poignant about us today? Only time will tell. I, however, will tell you that strictly from a filmmaking perspective, it’s worth a trip to the multiplex if you’re into this sort of thing. And remember, KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES!
(…oops, wrong movie)
- Silent G
*this joke was co-written by the talented Alex Colgan over at Endoscopy: The Musical (get back to writing, Al!)
