The Day The Earth Stood Still: A Review

19th July, 2009.

My word, isn’t it amazing what you can do, in an hour or so, if you’ve got visitors!!

Well, it is!

Saturday night is — as you’ve probably worked out by now — a semi-regular Movie night, as and when me and Adrian get the chance.

And today, we had company!

Bless, we were joined tonight, by Gwen — an old online friend of mine— and her partner, Stefan.

Good meeting Stef, actually. It’s the first time I’d met him, and I like him.

And, as you’ve probably guessed, as it’s the first time I’ve had visitors down for a Movie Night, I couldn’t help but at least mop the floor, and wave a duster at the obvious stains.

And at least get some incense going, to cover the whiff!

Well, you want to at least look like you’ve made an effort!! (Allison will probably make a comment or two, there … …)

And tonight’s film actually sparked some lively debate; both of the getting to know you sort, and going in all sorts of fascinating directions.

If you hadn’t guessed, it was the 2008 cut of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” starring Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, and Jennifer Connelly, as Dr Helen Benson; the character originally taken by Patricia Neal, in the 1951 original.

It’s a remake, by the way.

And quite a good one, I think, at that. The 1951 version is something of a science fiction classic; something I’d imagine would make many an older fan a little leery.

I’m not surprised. After all, remakes do have a reputation …

But this one’s actually done well, I think we were all agreed on that, tonight. Certainly the effects were better this time around, from what I can remember of the original.

Something I do remember, though, is that — in the original film — was Gort.

Phew.

Gort!

For those of you who don’t know, the plot centres around the Klaatu character coming to Earth and warning humanity to change its ways; to abandon nuclear weapons in the original, to change its environmental behaviour in the 2008 version.

The carrot, in both interpretations of the story, is that humanity gets to live, survive and grow.

(There’s a nice little speech from John Cleese’s character, on that front.)

The stick?

Is Gort, Klaatu’s robot assistant.

Nw I can remember having seen the original, as a child, and being terrified by Gort; a very human shaped robot, with a blatantly unhuman — unhuman, not inhuman, unhuman*º— face.

Something I’m glad to say remained — bar a few minimal cosmetic improvement’s — unchanged in this re-telling of the story.

Tonight saw four adult, mature, intelligent human beings riveted to our seats; both by the film.

And by Gort.

That makes it worth watching for starters.

On top of that, it’s a film I’m going to happily recommend to all and sundry. I’m thinking we’ve seen a very well done remake; something that stays true to its source material, and brings it up to date quite well. Maybe simplistically.

But with enough of an edge to make it worth renting.

It even managed a “Cool!” from Adrian.

And as I’m sure you, Gwen and Stefan have worked out, Adrian can be very hard to please.

* This is something I can remember many years ago, from an old “Doctor Who” story called “Robots Of Death”, is that a fear of robots — or science fictional style, humanoid robots — has something like this as a basis. That robots are designed to look human, but aren’t. The Doctor calls it Robophobia. Isaac Asimov … calls it the Frankenstein Complex. There’s probably a thesis or two, there … But if I understood what “The Robots of Death” was saying correctly, it boils down to the fact that the robots look human; but don’t have human body language. You can see that being a problem, if the Asimo project gets really going.

º I’m also personally half convinced that whoever designed the Cylons, in “Battlestar Galactica”, may have had Gort in mind. “Klaatu Barada Niktu”, to coin a phrase!