The movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still" (spoiler)

[seeker5]

I went to see that movie tonight, knowing nothing about what it was except it had aliens, and one of my favorite actors. I was very moved by it, and felt it was very fascinating. Even had a number of emotional moments for me where I felt chills.

I was struck how much the movie was so good in dealing the fear-based vs love-based reactions people can have when facing a situation. The humans for the most part, especially the government and military, reacted in a completely fear-based way to the aliens despite the fact that the aliens had undertaken no destructive measures. This decision based on fear was running so much, that the leaders acted in a way that caused the alien to have no choice but to destroy the civilization of humans.

Had the leader reacted with love from the beginning (while still being careful), they would have found out the alien's message earlier on and would have been able to save so much destruction. Great example of how the fear of destruction can actually bring on that very destruction.

And then it was love that made the alien realize that it was possible for humans to not destroy Earth. Thus he went to stop the destruction to give humans a chance to change their ways. That part of the movie was a little weak, and didn't showcase love/ability to change as much as the above part about how fear would lead to its destruction. But it was still good.

[ProjectX]

I give it 6.5/10

Was really expecting a twist in the end but just ended too predictably.

[John Tedder]

I haven't seen the new movie yet starring Tom Cruise. I think they should have picked a different name though.

The original "The Day The Earth Stood Still", made in 1951, starred Michael Rennie as Klaatu, and Patricia Neal as Helen Benson. Gort the robot starred in it too. It is a Sci-Fi classic and I've watched it a few times over the years.

The new movie, as far as I can tell from the advertisements, isn't anything like the original. It doesn't appear to be a remake.

Gort! Klaatu Barada Nikto! is what Patricia Neal's character says to Gort to stop him from going on a rampage after Klaatu is injured.

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by John Tedder

I haven't seen the new movie yet starring Tom Cruise.

Uber-celebrities are somewhat easy to get confused with each other, but this was unmistakeably a Keanu Reeves movie. In this movie, his acting was so wooden, that I kept mistaking it for a fourth movie in the Matrix series. The soldiers in the movie were basically caricatures, nothing much more than overblown cartoon characters. Since I was watching the movie in a theater full of of troops from nearby Fort Drum, that obviously didn't go over very well here. The exterior shots of Mount Weather were obviously done by somebody who had never even been to Virginia, because they looked like they were shot in the southern California desert. John Cleese was good in a serious role, playing a Nobel Laureate and one of the few believable characters in the film.

After the movie, I had to wonder why I had paid good money to watch it, when I could have waited for it to come out on DVD, or even watched it free on Hulu.

[John Tedder]

Thanks for pointing that out. I have seen the ads for the movie and it is Keanu Reeves not Tom Cruise in the Day The Earth Stood Still. There is another movie, Valkyrie, that Tom Cruise is in.

Have you seen the original Day The Earth Stood Still?

[WanderingOak]

I've seen the original, but not within the past few years. The new one is a very rough remake. Rather than playing on Cold War fears of nuclear annihilation, instead this movie has Klaatu trying to save the environment. Gort was there, in CGI format, but Klaatu never does try very hard to pass for a human. He is captured at the beginning of the movie, and spends the rest of the time on the run. The robot does go on a rampage at the end (the military comes up with some silly acronym that spells out G.O.R.T.), but it is Klaatu who stops him.

I never have understood the fascination that some people have had with the phrase "Gort! Klaatu Barada Nikto!" (never uttered in the remake). I've even seen it on some 'new age' pamphlets, saying that it is a message of goodwill to humanity from 'the universe' or something along those lines...

[lifetimelearner]

yes I was wanting more from the movie

I left theater wandering why the movie felt so rushed and the ending was -
well not what I expected

I wanted a character like the one Bill Pullman played in Independence Day

that speech he made -'we will not go down without a fight ' etc etc

that's the emotion I wanted !!!!!!

[JimOfferman]

I thought the movie was shallow, but entertaining. The bit with John Cleese was the best part, I think.

I was a little annoyed by the president ordering a strike on the sphere, in spite of his secretary of defense's advice. On behalf of the rest of the world: please don't ever elect someone so moronically stupid into the oval office! Let's also be thankful that the real military are not the "nuke first, ask questions later" folk that Hollywood so often likes to depict in movies, including in this one.

[lifetimelearner]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

I thought the movie was shallow, but entertaining. The bit with John Cleese was the best part, I think.

I was a little annoyed by the president ordering a strike on the sphere, in spite of his secretary of defense's advice. On behalf of the rest of the world: please don't ever elect someone so moronically stupid into the oval office! Let's also be thankful that the real military are not the "nuke first, ask questions later" folk that Hollywood so often likes to depict in movies, including in this one.

amen

I was watching the movie with my teenage sons and one of the boys said
"that darn President Bush "
that is probably what he would have done !

[seeker5]

Let's also be thankful that the real military are not the "nuke first, ask questions later" folk that Hollywood so often likes to depict in movies, including in this one.

There was no nuke in this movie. I was actually surprised during the movie - I was waiting for them to pull out the nuke to try to nuke the robot, but it never happened.

[WanderingOak]

They tried to nuke the sphere when they thought it was a meteor aimed straight at Manhattan Island, but the missiles never fired...

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by lifetimelearner

"that darn President Bush" that is probably what he would have done !

Actually, I don't think he would have. He's not actually that stupid.

Originally Posted by seeker5

There was no nuke in this movie. I was actually surprised during the movie - I was waiting for them to pull out the nuke to try to nuke the robot, but it never happened.

The very first thing they tried was to send nuclear missiles after the sphere. Luckily, they did appear to learn pretty quickly and didn't send nukes after the robot when the drone attack failed.

Btw. Why is there always at least one dimwitted character in movies like this one for the sole purpose of explaining some irrelevant military acronym to the audience? I'm talking about the blond woman who gets lambasted by the Secretary of Defense after saying that the loss of one satellite ain't all bad. It's not like you would get a job assisting the SoD if you don't have a clue... (or so I hope)

[vMike]

I was gonna watch it, but a friend told me the movie is rather lame and shallow. But seeing some good reviews here I might still watch it

[lifetimelearner]

[QUOTE=JimOfferman;278286]Actually, I don't think he would have. He's not actually that stupid.


really
hmmm
sorry cannot agree with you on that one

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by lifetimelearner

really
hmmm
sorry cannot agree with you on that one

O, ye of little faith!

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

Actually, I don't think he would have. He's not actually that stupid.

Considering, one of his first thought after the 9/11 Attacks by a bunch of Saudis terrorists based in Afghanistan was to declare Iraq, Iran, and North Korea to be an Evil Axis,. Then he immediately went to invade Iraq on the basis of 9/11. Then for the past 5 years he's set out on a propaganda run in the U.S. to drum up support to bomb and invade Iran, which thankfully he's failed.

So I'm not too sure about your assertion he's not that stupid.

The very first thing they tried was to send nuclear missiles after the sphere. Luckily, they did appear to learn pretty quickly and didn't send nukes after the robot when the drone attack failed.

I didn't see any nuclear explosion, so it doesn't count .

[lifetimelearner]

okay peace jim peace

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Then he immediately went to invade Iraq on the basis of 9/11.

I thought it was because of weapons of mass destruction, you know, the ones that were supposed to be there but couldn't be found.

Anyway, let's not waste too much time discussing what Bush would or wouldn't do. He's old news! Great shoe dodger, though

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

I thought it was because of weapons of mass destruction, you know, the ones that were supposed to be there but couldn't be found.

Yeah, and the whole reason he decided to go after it was because of 9/11. "Can't allow anyone to have any weapons against us, or else we'll have another 9/11".

Anyway, let's not waste too much time discussing what Bush would or wouldn't do. He's old news! Great shoe dodger, though

It's your fault Jim, for begging Americans not to elect someone that will harm the world It's ok, I forgive you this one time

[JimOfferman]

I shall cherish your forgiveness in this matter then!