Rating:
**/*****, or 4/10
Starring:
Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jadem Smith
Directed
by Scott Derrickson
USA: 20th
Century-Fox, 2008
The thing
about remakes is they need to retell a story of old (or at least
apply its general concepts) while giving it meaning that reflects
contemporary society, instead of carbon-copying the meaning of their
original counterpart to little avail in a changed world. In that
regard, the remake of the Sci-Fi classic The Day the Earth Stood
Still (1951) is spot-on, replacing a warning against the dangers
of nuclear weapons for an ecological message against man's
carelessness where the health of the world's environment, and thus
his own, is concerned. In most other respects, this new The Day the
Earth Stood Still feels like a redundant exercise in how not to
redo a well remembered movie.
Like its
predecessor from the Fifties, the film revolves around an
extraterrestrial visitor, with a giant robot in tow, who is met with
hostility and fear on our planet. Darker and grittier than the
original, there is good cause to treat the stranger (an aptly
emotionless (as always) Keanu Reeves) with aggressive caution, as
he's not here delivering an ultimatum telling us to change our ways
for the better, but has instead come to eradicate the human
infestation from the face of the galaxy in an attempt to save all
other life forms spawned by Mother Earth. Life, he says, is rare in
the vast limitless of space and therefore a precious thing, but life
endangering all other life must be swiftly dealt with: the ends
clearly justify the means. Arriving in a sphere (as opposed to a
saucer, like before) the alien called Klaatu has come not as a Christ
figure like in the original film, but as an Anti-Christ, hellbent on
unleashing his own weapon of mass destruction upon our not so
innocent world. Said weapon proves to be his artificial companion
Gort, who appears to be a metallic giant in humanoid shape, but
actually consists of huge numbers of nanites capable of devouring
everything they come into contact with. Thankfully humanity has its
on secret weapons to combat Klaatu's convictions, namely a smart and
strong female scientist (played by Jennifer Connelly) who manages to
dissuade the alien from his destructive plans, backed up by the
effective reasoning of an aged professor (John Cleese) who morally
convinces him humanity must be allowed to make its own choices in the
natural process of its evolution. Even though Klaatu's frozen heart
is thawed and his role is turned around a full 180 degrees so Keanu
can once again play the Messiah (e.g., The Matrix trilogy and
Constantine), his original point is amply illustrated as the
military tampers with his devices in a botched attempt to destroy
them, only unleashing their horrors as nanites swarm the land and the
FX department is given the opportunity to go all-out so as to obscure
the fact this version of The Day the Earth Stood Still hardly
proves as emotionally compelling as its forebear did.
Aside
from an update in themes and special effects, this remake offers
little improvement over its predecessor. Religious overtones are
obviously still to be found: aside from Klaatu's messianistic role,
there is the notion of 'space arks' for example, small spheres
evacuating all animal species off-world before being engulfed by a
sea of nanites. The movie walks a fine line between being too obvious
and too subtle, but the representation of religion is the least of
its problems. This new The Day the Earth Stood Still has a
hard time convincing the spectator that an alien intelligence can so
easily be persuaded to alter its agenda, which from the start felt so
ruthlessly unalterable thanks to Reeves' emotionless portrayal.
What's worse, his turnaround is accomplished through interaction with
the scientist and her kid, a terribly obnoxious and ungrateful little
brat (Jaden Smith, ofcourse), the latter more often given the
audience the impression Klaatu was right from the start and humanity
really is a plague better wiped out for the universe's sake, than
making it easy for us to accept the otherworldly being is starting to
appreciate contact with mankind and suddenly considers humans worth
saving after all. The talents of both Connelly and Cleese remain
underused in favor of this irritating child character, while it's
they who deliver the truly valid arguments as to why humanity is just
not so black and white as Klaatu feared. Meanwhile, being a big
winter release, the current The Day the Earth Stood Still all
too eagerly uses the tools at its disposal thank to the wonders of
digital technology by adding many a bombastic scene of computer
generated imagery fighting soldiers, reducing the film to the level
of the average type of big FX driven action flick, instead of ending
up as a smart and sensible science fiction drama like the far
superior 1951 incarnation. Nowhere does this film feature either the
intellectual impact or the trend setting production design the
original was blessed with. Instead, its eco-message is delivered in a
bland and forgetful new groove, the impression the film leaves as
tiny as the nanites it showcases.
A
retooling of the original film where the phrase 'nuclear weapons'
would simply have been substituted with 'global pollution' would
probably have made for a more agreeable and certainly cheaper way to
update that film for today's public, as the 2008 version of The
Day the Earth Stood Still adequately illustrates that changing
the message to fit the times while throwing huge sums of money at the
project to give it that slick blockbuster feel coupled with ignoring the
character aspects that ought to make us care doesn't make for a good film, let alone for an
effective means to convince the audience of the value of the themes
addressed.
And Happy Birthday, Sis!!
And Happy Birthday, Sis!!
