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The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
12 December 2008 (USA) moreTagline:
12.12.08 is the Day the Earth Stood StillPlot:
A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth. | full synopsisAwards:
2 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(90 articles)
Discuss: For Your Razzie Consideration (From Cinematical. 16 December 2008, 10:45 AM, PST)
Earth Big -- Bigger On IMAX
(From Studio Briefing. 16 December 2008, 1:54 AM, PST)
User Comments:
A soon-to-be forgotten remake of a timeless classic moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Keanu Reeves | ... | Klaatu |
 | Jennifer Connelly | ... | Helen Benson |
 | Kathy Bates | ... | Regina Jackson |
 | Jaden Smith | ... | Jacob Benson |
 | John Cleese | ... | Professor Barnhardt |
 | Jon Hamm | ... | Michael Granier |
 | Kyle Chandler | ... | John Driscoll |
 | Robert Knepper | ... | Colonel |
 | James Hong | ... | Mr. Wu |
 | John Rothman | ... | Dr. Myron |
 | Sunita Prasad | ... | Rouhani |
 | Juan Riedinger | ... | William Kwan |
| Sam Gilroy | ... | Tom |
| Tanya Champoux | ... | Isabel |
 | Rukiya Bernard | ... | Student |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
D.T.E.S.S. (USA) (promotional abbreviation)The Day the Earth Stood Still: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
103 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #44866) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:PG | Norway:11 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | Czech Republic:12 | Malaysia:UMOVIEmeter: 
50% since last week
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The 2008 version starts off somewhat promising. Unlike the original, there is a build-up to the first encounter with Klaatu, which is sort of effective in eliciting both wonder and fear. It's reminiscent of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Independence Day. It proceeds down a similar path to the original for a while afterward, embellishing a bit in some areas.
While Michael Rennie's Klaatu was a complicated character, simultaneously coming off as creepy and trustworthy, Keanu Reeves's Klaatu is hardly more than a robot. He is completely inexpressive and undynamic. There's no way the audience can identify with him, so his fate seems ultimately unimportant. Also, his purpose is largely unclear in this version. He was a messenger in the original; the closest thing he can be related to in this version is a harbinger of death...
Which brings me to my biggest complaint with the movie. Robert Wise's version had a clear underlying message to its audience; Scott Derrickson's version doesn't. Though the "big issue" that the film deals with has been changed from the nuclear arms race to global warming, it is hardly touched upon. The destruction of the human race is triggered with little more than a few lines of explanation.
Not to undermine the efforts of the 1951 classic's film crew, but The Day The Earth Stood Still is a classic because of its message, a message that easily still applies today. Derrickson's version of The Day The Earth Stood Still could have been a marvelous way of touching modern audiences with an old truth. Instead, it focuses more on thrills and special effects. Klaatu would be disappointed...