by Brooklyn Mulisano

Created on: March 06, 2009   Last Updated: March 07, 2009

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Things aren't always what they appear; and that is exactly what Keanu Reeves' character Klaatu learns in The Day the Earth Stood Still. He is sent from his alien planet to save earth. Of course he means the planet and not her inhabitants. His view at the beginning of the movie is that all humans are corrupt, destructive, and in a word, evil. What he doesn't know it that he will soon view them much, much differently.

When I first saw the previews, I thought the movie was going to be a fast paced, action packed film about heroic citizens. The movie itself was actually quite different. It was action-packed, but at a bit of a slower pace than the previews allowed. Also there were many touching moments that I wasn't expecting, such as Jacob and Klaatu's relationship that develops and the graveyard scene where Jacob and Helen's relationship is repaired.

Despite the difference from the feel the actual movie gave versus what I thought after viewing the preview, one thing I was consistently happy with in this film was the digital effects. Almost throughout the entire movie, I was impressed by the quality of the picture and digital effects, especially the spheres and metal-eating termites. The explosions were slightly weak, but not enough to be a film breaker.

Another aspect of the film that was well done was the casting! Yes, Keanu Reeves does often play the statuesque, non-smiling, intelligent type of character he depicted in The Day the Earth Stood Still, but he consistently does a good job with them! Jennifer Connelly played her caring and charismatic character quite well and Jaden Smith fit his part to a T'. The only casting flub I found to be a bit cheesy and cliched was the choice of Kathy Bates as Secretary of Defense. She was trying to be too stern (and seemingly manly in some scenes) and I felt that the film needed some point of release from her strange drama.

All throughout the film the positive message it gives is quite refreshing when so much of today's media is negative and, in many cases, filled with bad jokes and nasty innuendos. The point of this movie was quite clearly 1) that people can change and become better than our nature would allow if we try and 2) we need to appreciate each other and our world while we can because we aren't here forever. At the beginning of the movie Klaatu is quite convinced that there is no reason he should allow the humans to live on earth, they are too destructive and corrupt to be worth the trouble. But as he witnesses Jacob and Helen at their father and husband's grave, his paradigm is shifted quite quickly and drastically. He realizes he's come to care a great deal for them and people in general. They show him that humanity is worth saving.

In the end Klaatu gives his life for his friends and chooses their life over his own. Though the movie might fall short from the previews for some, overall it was a touching movie about friendship, change, humanity and survival. The Day the Earth Stood Still was a refreshing sci-fi film that is safe for the family to see.

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