Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) review

Spoilers – Let’s get this out of the way right now: remakes will always be compared to the original every time and in that regards, the original Day the Earth Stood Still is a classic film that this remake can’t even wish to be. So, now that we easily stated that, can we just look at this film for what it is and isn’t on its own merits? 

On its own terms, this film has a decent idea in modernizing the film for audiences of today (although the original’s statement on nuclear war and human capacity for violence still rings true). For the sake of arguing, I’ll say this film’s idea of using a “green” statement that brings Klaatu and Gort to Earth is sound. Outside of that, the film contradicts itself on every key point and doesn’t have the balls to be as affirmative as the original. They try to wrap Klaatu’s dire warning to us in the mold of a summer action, blockbuster film and it fails, plain and simple.

Klaatu doesn’t even care about us or our capacity to change. We messed up and he’s here to end us, not Earth. The film sets up this scenario in which he’s concerned about Earth because this planet is one of the few to sustain life and it’s too fragile to let go in our hands any longer. His idea to save Earth is to round up all of the animals like Noah’s Ark, save them and have Gort destroy us in the silliest of fashions. Klaatu is unimpressed with us, unwilling to learn about us, and just doesn’t care.

Admittedly, this might sound good on paper, probably how they rounded up Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, and Kathy Bates, but in execution is lame and silly. Maybe not the best words needed to describe a film but hey, when Gort is killing us all for our collapse in taking care of our environment, he spares nothing. Case in point: the New York Mets have had back-to-back years of historic September collapses and Gort must be pissed at them as he destroys their empty stadium without mercy for no real narrative reason. They say Jesus hates the (Chicago) Cubs, well, Gort hates the Mets.

The biggest issue I have with it is this scene towards the end, when numerous attempts to convince Klaatu we can change, humans change when pushed to the brink, which is a fabulous set up for the film and it’s message, but Klaatu only changes his ways after seeing Helen (Connelly) hold her step-son (Jaden Smith) as they cry in a cemetery over his dead father. Klaatu sees Helen’s tears and is now convinced he might have it all wrong even though Gort is destroying everything in sight. Really? By seeing her cry over her husband’s tombstone, this convinces him that we humans can change our evil ways and save the environment and go green? How? That’s the most stupid turning point in a film I’ve seen in a good long while. Crying over a death and littering are completely unrelated.

At least Gort is cool. He might’ve been an interesting tool in the original film, but here he’s massively tall and mean as all get-up. He’s basically the same design for the character but cooler looking. Except for when he decides to escape from the huge underground prison the military has him in. I won’t spoil it but it’s ridiculous as well as a cop-out for shoddy writing.

They just didn’t have the gumption to really hammer home the film’s message, or make us scared about our choices. It wraps up and Earth didn’t really stand still, Jaden Smith is lucky Nebraska got rid of their Safe Haven law since I was going to recommend that to Helen during the film, and where the hell are the animals once Klaatu left? Did he just jack our wildlife?

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