The Day the Earth Stood Still (3-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
Starring: Kathy Bates, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Connelly, Robert Knepper, J.C. MacKenzieDirector: Scott Derrickson
Studio: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Full Screen, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release: April 7th 2009
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DVD Review
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 04/07/2009 Run time: 104 minutes Rating: Pg13
User Reviews
this is so bad, it's keanu reeves bad - Rating: 1/5
if ''anything is possible'' and seeing how this waste of film made it into theatres proves the saying is correct, is it possible to give this negative stars? a movie about characters who are ''alien''to good acting, just all around dumb movie, how does ''KR'' continue to make a living?
Do yourself a favor: rent the original instead - Rating: 1/5
The opening scene -- where Keanu Reeves in an apparently fake beard with clear skin and no signs of having weathered anything wanders through an obviously fake Antarctic blizzard -- made it clear that this wouldn't best the original through convincing realism or special effects. This impression was confirmed later as a poorly animated CGI snake wiggled (it couldn't manage a slither) its way towards a shining globe.
The story didn't fare any better as American military bluster and incompetence (channeled by the odd choice of Kathy Bates as a paranoid US secretary of defense) met with vague and unemotional incomprehension and disappointment on the part of Reeves as Klaatu. The screenplay includes some pretty bizarre elements, that could almost pass for surreal if the film didn't seem to want to be taken so seriously. A gigantic flying object is headed straight for Central Park at speeds guaranteed to destroy all life on Earth. There's only a slim chance of stopping it, so what does the American military industrial complex do? Gather all of the world's best scientists and put them in a helicopter hovering right next to the predicted site of impact, so they can cross their fingers and pray, hoping for the object to slow down.
Some have complained about the acting - but as far as I can tell the actors did the best they could with a plodding and silly script. Keanu Reeves was doing a slightly more wodden version of the wooden actor he plays in almost everything he's ever been in apart from his finer moments (in, of course, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and The Matrix) - but that's what the script called for. Jennifer Connolly did the best you can do with horribly written part - the beautiful astrobiologist who is also a struggling single mother to a stepson played by Will Smith's kid. Will Smith's kid, Jaden, did as well as he could with an enormously overwritten and unnecessary role for which it's pretty clear his dad called in a favor with the producer. The kid's got a decent screen presence but only a modest emotional range - he doesn't yet have anything like the acting chops of other young screen stars like Dakota Fanning. (So why, on the brink of global disaster and with the clock ticking did the main characters have to spend several important minutes working through this kid's emotional rollercoaster hangups? Why were the ostensibly tender reconciliatory moments between a woman and her stepson, that were supposed to convince Klaatu the Earth was worth saving, written so full of cliches and so completely unmoving?)
The CGI work was only a notch up from the really bad B-movies that are increasingly showing up on cable. For a hint at how to do this kind of disaster movie right check out Knowing. It had a lot of goofy elements thrown in there as well, and was downright silly in a number of spots, but the atmosphere was creepy, the script was, well, much smarter than this one, and in spite of everything it was a lot of fun to watch, and not quite so heavyhanded with its message. I'm sorry, but this one was just painful and boring. Do yourself a favor and rent the much more enjoyable original film instead.
Review of "like New" two Disc set - Rating: 3/5
Second disk was not viewable, the sound and picture were terrible and couldn't be watched. The first (main) disk was similar in places, though it was watchable. Certainly not in "like new" condition.
James Hong the ONLY good thing about this film - Rating: 1/5
There is only ONE reason to see this film, and that is the all-too-short scene in the coffee shop with James Hong. Hong, a wonderful veteran actor of impressive ability and equally impressive filmography (check out the Wikipedia entry on him), give this film its only watchable moments. Hong, as always, is great, but even he cannot rescue this film from all its mediocrity.
The special effects are not all that special (the first Ironman or Transformers completely blow this film away, effects-wise), and the glowing weather balloon "spaceships" are so ridiculous it is pathetic. They look like a throwback to some high school film project from the sixties. Disappointing in the extreme.
Basically, it does everything wrong. The story is drastically changed from the original and should not even have the same name. The clever anti-Cold War message of the original is replaced by a barely mentioned and very poorly developed (and incorrect, as well) environmental message attempt.
The kid is totally unbelievable, situations ridiculously contrived, the writing boring and uninspired, and the special effects not anywhere good enough to watch the film just for them. It is obvious that whoever produced this film does not even begin to "get" science fiction.
I don't really like to dis the hard work of others, but I would be embarrassed to have my name on this film, it is so bad. Why Hollywood wastes money on junk like this when there are so many really good scripts sitting gathering dust is one of the mysteries of the ages...(A Serenity sequel, for example)
Rent it if you must (I did), but do not even consider spending money on it until you have seen it. A diehard James Hong fan might want that one good scene....
The day the earth threw up - Rating: 1/5
Unlike many reviewers, I have not seen the original therefore I cannot compare it the two. Having said that I will simply critique it based on the entertainment value.
The trailers for this movie make it out to be a science fiction epic. However, as with most sci fi epics good effects does not a good movie make. For far too long directors have relied on great effects to support their movies. This was an attempt to do the same. The only problem being that good effects enhance only a good movie. I would not attribute the word good with any part of this movie. Therefore the effects simply became a distraction and frustration to an otherwise bad movie.
The screenplay for this thing seems as if it were written over a long period of time. This prevented the writer from maintaining any sort of continuity or coherence. If, as in the beginning of the movie, "if humens live, the earth dies and if humans die, the earth lives" why would everything need to be destroyed. Other ideas presented in this thing were that of change. Let me put in my two cents (pun intended). In the beginning, the idea of an environmental message was implied. With a destruction of everything this idea was completely destroted. Later in the film, and also implied near the beginning, was the need to change views on domination, conquest, and the military. The film demonstrated none of this. In fact, military escalation seemed to be the flavor of the day. Finally there was an emphasis on change of emotions toward fellow humans. The only change evident in the film was that of Reeve's character. To sum up this portion, the only change that took place was my money no longer being mine.
Next I would like to mention character development. Most movies have some sort of development. This thing seems to rely on character development from the original. In other words, I was presented with characters and that was that. If I had seen the original I might have understood the characters better and therefore some of the interactions.
P-L-O-T development, climax, and dénouement. Find your nearest blender, put a book into it and hit frappé. Need I say more?
All in all avoid this travisty of a waste of money and time. Instead, rent the original, which is what I plan on doing now. Or, if you want marginally more enjoyment, find a cat litter box that hasn't been cleaned for a while and stick your head in it for an hour and 43 minutes. You will receive the same nausea.
