The Day the Earth Stood Still Blu-Ray Review

 

The Film:

The Day the Earth Stood Still is as good as any sci-fi film should be. It has brains, cleverness, and is just a well-told story. Repeated viewings enhance some interesting subtext, like parallels to Christ and Klaatu. But really what it comes down to, and always will, in my opinion is the strength of its story and Day the Earth Stood Still has aged very well.

I imagine in the 1950s this film was absolutely scary. What’s amazing is the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan for the political and military reasons, but the fallout in cinema was one of constant fear. If more men had more bombs like we did during WWII, the inevitable discussion of the extinction of the human race due to nuclear holocaust is a subject a lot of sci-fi films discuss. It’s a fascinating hook for a film, and while some have used it for hokier reasons, the way Robert Wise handles the subject is very serious. Humans are so violent that aliens have taken a keen interest in our lives because of the Bomb. Klaatu gives us a warning and then the ultimatum, one of sci-fi’s best endings, Day the Earth Stood Still is classic in every sense of the word.

Of course, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Seeing Gort do some damage early on is fun, seeing Klaatu interact with humans and grow fond of them is another highlight, and the awesome Bernard Herrmann Theremin score is a blast. The best part of the film is the absolute lack of action. While Gort does laser away some soldiers, the film is more of an idea film, then a sci-fi adventure one. If it’s been awhile or if you unfortunately haven’t seen Day the Earth Stood Still do yourself a favor and see it now.

 

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: Presented in its original mono track or a new DTS/DD 5.1 mix, both are good, but will not impress like a newer film. I would recommend either as they are both clear and clean, with no hiss or pops. Day is still a 1.33:1 film but the high def clean up and transfer is pretty good. Little to no damage and the contrast and clarity is high. 

Interactive Theremin: This is a Blu Ray exclusive and it’s kind of gimmicky but worth a glance. Basically you try to make your own score, using the Theremin.

Gort Command!: Another Blu Ray exclusive, here you play as Gort and the object is to kill soldiers or tanks using your remote. It plays like a flash game and is somewhat fun for a while and gets old.

Commentary: Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan) sits down and does a question-and-answer session with Robert Wise. It’s a great track. 

Commentary 2: Featuring some historians, this track focuses on the score and the history of the Theremin and how it’s been used in the film. It’s decent, a little dry but worth a listen to once.

Isolated Score: Purely focuses on Herrmann’s great score in mono.

The Mysterious, Melodious Theremin: Runs about 12 minutes, this neat piece is a history and visual presentation of the curious musical instrument.

Main Title Live: Here, Peter Pringle who hosted the above piece performs the main title theme live using the Theremin.

“Farewell to the Master”: This is really cool although devote some free time for it. We have an audio reading of the original short story that influenced Day the Earth Stood Still and goes in three sections and runs 97 minutes. Awesome.

Decoding Klaatu Barada Nikto: This piece puts historical context to the film and why it was relevant in the ‘50s. Neat feature.

Behind-the-Scenes: Unfortunately the older version on DVD had an awesome 90-minute making of and while that wasn’t ported over for this release, this feature is okay in its own right filled with interviews and while it’s light, it’s still worth watching.

Brief History of Flying Saucers: Authors, facts, photos, historians all line up to give us a look at UFOs. Fun.

The Astounding Harry Bates: Gives tribute to the author of the short story.

Edmund North: Man Who Made the Earth Stand Still: Pays tribute to the screenwriter.

Race to Oblivion: Here’s a cool extra. It’s a short by Edmund North, like a documentary, about disarming the nukes with interviews from a Hiroshima survivor. Cool and relevant to the film. I wish DVD producers would think about including cool things like this more often.

Press kit, Trailers, and a First Look at the remake round out the extras.

Conclusion: 

A masterpiece of sci-fi filmmaking and an absolute must-own Blu Ray. 

Rating: