The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese

A remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic of the same name, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" tells the story of alien's arrival on Earth. An alien representative Klaatu (Reeves), comes to deliver a message to the human race, only to be met with violence and intolerance. But through the help of Helen Benson (Connelly) and her son (Smith), Klaatu soon discovers the duality of human nature, both the ugly and the beautiful. While this movie is pumped up with lots of special effects and loud noises, the action never really catches the audicence's attention nor does the audience ever really feel the true threat that the aliens bring with them. The character of Klaatu is never very engaging, as Reeves uses the excuse of his character's alien origin to be flat and boring rather than (!) act. Connelly and Smith certainly pull their weight, but it is not enough to keep this movie afloat. By the end, the audience will leave and most likely forget ever having seen this movie.