The Day the Earth Stood Still

Release Date 12/12/2008

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My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions.

I hope the remake does the original version justice.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

I hope the remake does the original version justice.

I hope so too. I really hope that it isn't all special effects but has a good storyline as well.

The original had two very good points, 1st when the electricity was cut & the end piece when Michael Rennie gave his speech with Gort standing by.

Cracking good film, as good as Forbidden Planet!

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I hope the remake does the original version justice.

I hope so too. I really hope that it isn't all special effects but has a good storyline as well.

The original had two very good points, 1st when the electricity was cut & the end piece when Michael Rennie gave his speech with Gort standing by.

Cracking good film, as good as Forbidden Planet!

Forbidden Planet is another excellent film would not be surprised if they remake that film as well.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

I hope the remake does the original version justice.

I hope so too. I really hope that it isn't all special effects but has a good storyline as well.

The original had two very good points, 1st when the electricity was cut & the end piece when Michael Rennie gave his speech with Gort standing by.

Cracking good film, as good as Forbidden Planet!

Forbidden Planet is another excellent film would not be surprised if they remake that film as well.

I wouldn't be surprised either. Disappointed, yes; surprised, no.

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Watched the trailer for this movie from what I can tell it does not look half bad

Crossing my fingers :o)

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Watched the trailer for this movie from what I can tell it does not look half bad

Crossing my fingers :o)

I recall watching the remake of “War of the Worlds” and being prepared to hate it (‘cause of Tom Cruise being involved) and tho it was entirely unlike the original (including the radio Orson Wells version) I liked it.

Not having seen the original “The Day the Earth Stood Still” I live in hope.

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Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein

The original is an EXCELLENT film!
Here it is streaming on Veoh.com

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v127626105fqcjcpa

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I have the original on DVD and it is one of my favorites. Viewed the trailer of the new movie yesterday.

This new movie version is on my "must see" movie list.

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Boinc....Boinc....Boinc....Boinc....

From watching the movie trailer it looks like they have A different twist in the newer version of this movie.

It will be interesting to see if they can pull this off!

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

It'll be a disappointing piece of crap!

Just about ALL remakes are.

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It'll be a disappointing piece of crap!

Just about ALL remakes are.

Fingers!!!! ;o)

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Klaatu barada nikto

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Klaatu barada nikto

Yeah what he said! :o)

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Klaatu barada nikto

Yeah what he said! :o)

Which, according to reports, does not occur once in the remake.

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By the looks of the movie trailer I wonder why they chose Keanu Reeves to play Klaatu?

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

It'll be a disappointing piece of crap!

Just about ALL remakes are.

That's because Hollywood only remakes movies that are already great.
Why don't they remake movies that NEED to be remade like ,,,,, uh ... I dunno ....Ishtar or Gigli? All they do is try to bet on a sure thing.

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It'll be a disappointing piece of crap!

Just about ALL remakes are.

That's because Hollywood only remakes movies that are already great.
Why don't they remake movies that NEED to be remade like ,,,,, uh ... I dunno ....Ishtar or Gigli? All they do is try to bet on a sure thing.

Pawly I agree Hollywood does not want to take A risk anymore with movies that have not been money makers.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

No Gort!! No "Klaatu Barada Nikto"!! Uncapie Goes Postal On THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Remake Script!!

Yo! I'm Uncapie!

Everyone has seen the stand alone, classic 1951 film, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" directed by Robert Wise starring Michael Rennie as "Klaatu". It was based on Harry Bates' "Farewell To the Master" and is science fiction at its best.

Now they're remaking it in Vancouver. Keanu Reeves is in the lead role as the visitor from another planet with a warning for Earth.

Why?

What was wrong with the original that merits a remake?

After I read the script, I threw it against the wall.


BEWARE SPOILERS!!!


The story starts out with a promising beginning. Astronauts aboard the space shuttle discover a glassy sphere, which they recover through their bay doors.

No sooner as they do, the sphere (as if it has a will of its own) lets itself out, joining thousands of other spheres that head towards the surface of the Earth.

That's only the first two pages. Now it gets worse.

Scientist Dr. Helen Benson (portrayed by Jennifer Connolly) has a whiny son, Jacob. He's not as interesting as Bobby Benson in the original, and I'm real tired of the dysfunctional family theme. Jacob plays too many "violent" video games, Helen scolds him for it. She might as well put a dress on this kid and get it over with. Yet, they live in a violent world - we discover that Jacob's father was killed in Iraq.

An enormous energy sphere shows up in New York, and good ol' Klaatu makes his appearance. The entire army and air force are ready to stomp his butt if he gets out of line.

Of course he gets shot, and we do get a robot to come out of the ship. But its nothing like "Gort" - nor is it as fierce as "Gort."

Its called the "Totem". It walks around on all fours, does its destructo-ray stuff, and stands upright like a totem pole when its finished.

Oooooh, I'm soooooo scared.

Cut to the chase.

Klaatu enters the hospital. He escapes in a military uniform. There is no allusion to the "Major Carpenter" or "Carpenter" name, which is the subtext in the original film (Klaatu was a metaphor for Christ).

Klaatu befriends Helen and Jacob, enlisting their aid to meet with a "Mr. Wu" who is from Klaatu's home planet. Wu who has been monitoring Earth's behavior for eighty years - at a McDonald's of all places.

Okay, logic problem here.

If Klaatu is sent from his planet to destroy the Earth, why do we need Mr. Wu to tell us that it needs obliterating if he's already here? What? He couldn't do the job himself? How did he get here in the first place? Where's his space ship? Why wait eighty years? Why would Klaatu have to travel a hundred million light years for Mr. Wu to tell him that - when Klaatu is already doing the job he's sent on (coming from his home planet to destroy our world)?

Turns out that...because of Global Warming (and the destruction of our own planet with industrial waste and pollution)....the other galaxies deemed that we are not fit to survive. The glass spheres they sent down were to collect land and sea animal specimens to take back to their planet for study.

Visions ran through my head when I was reading this script: episodes of the sixties versions of "Ultraman" or "Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot." Maybe "Prince of Space: Part II" with Klaatu as "Krang-Kor." "Ha...ha...ha..."

And no, the immortal words, "Klaatu Barada Nicto" are never uttered. Ever.

Needless-to-say, Earth goes through a violent energy field released through Klaatu's ship (wait a minute - wasn't Gort supposed to be the ultimate bad ass in this story?). But Earth survives, with Klaatu giving we humans a second chance as he dies - telling us that we must change our ways in order to survive, in a delivery that would rival Steven Segal's speech at the end of "On Deadly Ground."

Maybe the title song from "Godzilla Vs. the Smog Monster" would be more appropriate.

And you can bet they'll be no Theramin music either. Maybe a few tunes by Dogstar, though.

Gone are the interaction between Bobby and Klaatu at the Lincoln Memorial, the Arlington Cemetery, and the visit to the space ship.

Gone is the scene with Bobby discovering Gort taking out the two guards - and finding out that Carpenter is an alien.

Gone is the Hugh Marlowe character.

Professor Barnhardt is in it, but his role is limited. Plus, he gets killed. Why? He was the voice of reason. This makes no sense.

Yes, there is a scene where everything in the world stops for an hour and chaos erupts, but it was done in the original much better...and with style.

There are so many books out there just begging to be made into films, why does Fox have to remake a classic? Why not film Joe Haldeman's,"Forever Wars"? Or "Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination"? Or Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous With Rama"? Or "Childhood's End"? Or the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson? Or quit stalling Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" as a movie?

I have no hopes for this as a film. It can't hold a candle to the timeless original. Call it something else, but don't call it "Day the Earth Stood Still."

There are so many books out there just begging to be made into films, why does Fox have to remake a classic? Why not film Joe Haldeman's,"Forever Wars"? Or "Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination"? Or Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous With Rama"? Or "Childhood's End"? Or the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson? Or quit stalling Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" as a movie?

..........or Issac Asimov's "Foundation" Series. Now that would make an interesting series of films!

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