Think about it - when have movies like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow or War Of The Worlds ever let you down?
It isn't the explosive openings, it isn't the cool premise explaining why or
what attacks are coming, it isn't the constant building of fear
inducing paranoid notions of "The world will end... AND SO WILL YOU"
and it sure as hell isn't seeing aliens blow shit up.
The weak
link is always the inevitable rushed conclusion that can never quite
logically justify the events of the previous 90 minutes.
Oh yeah, and that odd need to have aliens ask that question "Love... What is this... love?".
Without doubt, it always leaves you feeling more hollow than a recently "initiated" prisoner.
So bear that in mind when venturing into the newly revamped sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Stood Still.
Keanu
Reeves (leave your "Reeves is more wooden than Nicole Kidman" jokes to
yourself please) portrays Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet
triggers a global upheaval.
As governments and scientists race
to unravel the mystery behind the visitor's appearance, a woman
(Jennifer Connelly) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission
and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described
"Friend to the Earth".
As with most Sci-Fi and horror flicks,
the aim here is to address an intolerance or social issue under the
guise of an alien suit. And Earth is no different.
There
is quite a cool little message on offer here (in a nutshell, humans are
the real danger to the continued existence of the Earth, not space men)
but for some reason it gets totally lost after the halfway mark as we
race towards an ending that doesn't involved EVERYONE meeting their
demise.
There is some serious back flipping done here
- and I'm sure I'm not the only one will leave the cinema thinking "You
know what, that Klaatu kind of had a point, we are selfish bastards!".
Seriously,
a far more satisfying movie would have involved him sticking to his
convictions and not getting sucked in by that one ability that defines
all humans... not the ability to love - but the ability to manipulate
others using emotions in order to get your own way.
There is a
good summer movie buried here somewhere (you just have to
ignore some downright stupid throw away roles from John Cleese and
Kathy Bates that defy explanation) with some cool graphics and a truly
gripping first act - but the ending will leave you feeling a bit
cheated. T-800
summed it up perfectly on behalf of all non-human species hell bent on
destruction: "Now I know why you cry..." - it's because there is no way
modern day audiences will ever experience a satisfactory "happy" ending
to a Sci-Fi flick. DVD EXTRAS
It's very rare for a director to openly admit that the movie you
have just purchased, and are subsequently watching the dvd extras, is a
pile of junk.
It's even rarer for a company like Fox (who are
notorious for meddling with films and making them junk against the will
of everyone else involved) to let those secrets loose on a DVD.
So
it's somewhat refreshing, almost as a consolation prize for having to
endure the movie itself, to see an accurate "Making Of" featurette
which see's the films director (Scott Derrickson) openly admits he was
more of a babysitter of an expensive brand - rather than a director of
a unique cinematic vision. There are a bunch of other
doco's which look at the various desing elements of the production, the
changes in Klatuu and the robotic protector Gort and much more.
Well
worth a look for fans of the original who seem to gobble up anything
even slightly linked to Hollywoods Golden era of sci-fi.
Conclusion:
Movie 60% Extras: 60%
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