DVD Reviews

The Day The Earth Stood Still

• Rating:
• Director: Scott Derrickson
• Starring: Jennifer Connelly
• Details: US / 103mins (12A).

Remaking a classic can be a good idea if said classic is a 1951 sci-fi B-movie; the story is already in place and still has universal appeal – an alien lands on earth to warn us of our impending doom – so all it needs is special effects thrown at it. Those special effects are already on show in the trailer and if they don't grab you, there's no other reason to catch this update. Reeves takes over from Michael Rennie as Klaatu, an alien who lands on earth and emerges from his sphere-shaped ship to warn the planet that the end is nigh. However, like all messengers who deliver bad news, he's shot by a trigger-happy soldier and shipped off to a military hospital. When he awakes, he demands to speak to the world leaders, but this is denied by Kathy Bates's Secretary Of Defence. Sensing something drastic is about to happen, Klaatu is helped escape by Helen (Connelly) and the pair – along with Helen's adopted son Jacob (Jaden Smith) – are soon on the run from the officials. All the while, Klaatu's colossal robot bodyguard GORT protects the sphere from any would-be intruders... In its favour, The Day The Earth Stood Still gets down to business pretty quickly and for the first hour this post summer blockbuster is decent, if just competent, fare. However, Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) can't fill his film with the dread that this is actually the end of the world, and when he's called upon to kick the proceedings on to the next level has nothing in his canon except some pretty wooden special effects. This would be forgivable if the characters were nothing more than mouthpieces for tepid dialogue. They're not; the lines afforded are so stilted, so hammy, it makes Oscar winner Kathy Bates look like a bad actor and that's some feat.

Review by Gavin Burke