Post by T I M™ on Mar 11, 2009 3:46:37 GMT -5
WARNING, SPOILERS!
Wow, it's been awhile. Hasn't it?
Well I'm gonna give a review of the original "Day the Earth Stood Still"!
I finally got a chance to see this thanks to my library and I loved it! I also got to see it's remake all on the same day right after seeing the original, naturally! For a movie made so long ago and not based on any book of some kind, it's really well written! I love how it has some light humor and not all dark, like the remake!
The story starts out with news broadcasts around the world talking about a strange UFO is heading for Earth. The flying saucer land in the middle of a baseball park. Then the alien, Klaatu(played by Michael Rennie) steps out from the giant UFO. While the U.S. army immediately arrives at the scene, Klaatu informs them that he comes in peace. He them pulls out a small device, but one of the solders becomes anxious and shoots the device from his hand! I guess the device wasn't important cause he never mentions it again! Well as soon as the solder attacked, we see Gort(played be Lock Martin) immediately attack them back, but only their weapons. Gort is a apart of a intergalactic team of robo cops(well that what Klaatu basically says)! Klaatu shuts him down and then we see him in a room being interrogated by the authorities! Klaatu explains that his race is identical to humans and they learn how to speak our language by listening to our radio frequency that reached into space! We then learn why he has come to Earth, he has come to warn us not make weapons that can reach into space that can endanger other planets or there well be trouble! So yeah this movie has a anti war message. In the remake, it has environmental message to it!
Well Klaatu must get to our world leaders to pass the message along but the authorities won't let him leave the building cause, they must do more tests on him, but Klaatu leaves anyway and now the hole country's after him! Do to him looking like a human he hides well in the crowds, he latter finds a boarding house and rents a room out! The boarding house is runned by, Helen Benson(Patricia Neal)! Helen lives there with her son, Bobby Benson and the rest of the boarders along with Aunt Bee. When Klaatu stays there he makes friends with Bobby and Bobby shows him around Washington D.C., Klaaatu learns more of our culture's history and becomes attached to Bobby and gives him diamonds that are only found on his planet. Meanwhile the government is keeping watch on Klaatu's ship and the strange robot, Gort that still stands there motionless in front of the saucer. Klaatu eventually goes back to his ship at night and this is how Bobby finds out about his secret by following him.
Before, Bobby takes Klaatu to see Professor, Jacob Barnhardt(Sam Jaffe), cause Klaatu asked who was the smartest person on the planet. Of course, Bobby wouldn't know this, so he takes him to see the smartest person he knows! Klaatu tells Prof. Barnhardt who he really is, the Professor becomes fascinated with him and wants to know all there is, but Klaatu tells him about his missions. There's not much to tell about the scene, they just explain on what Klaatu should do to get the people of Earth attention.
Well, latter Helen finds out Klaatu is the alien that everyone's after, from Bobby telling her. Then Helen's boyfriend, Tom Stevens(Hugh Marlowe) reports that the Klaatu is staying at the boarding house, in hopes to become rich and famous. After a long conversation with Klaatu in a elevator while the entire world looses all power for a brief moment, Helen is convinced that Klaatu is here to help. So she tries to help him get to his ship, but Klaatu is spotted on the streets and is shot dead! Meanwhile, Gort is reactivated and goes on a muck, but Helen makes it to Klaatu's ship and shouts the wards that Klaatu told her to say before he died if Gort ever got out of control, "Klaatu! Verata! Necktie!" As soon as she says the wards, Gort brings her into the ship and goes out to retrieve Klaatu's body. He does so and puts him on a bed like thing and brings him back to life!
Meanwhile, the world's leaders and the army is settled around the ship outside, then Klaatu and Helen walk out. Helen steps off the ship and Klaatu tells the world's leaders why he has come to Earth. After he makes his speech, him and Gort leave!
So thats "The Day the Earth Stood Still(1951)", if you haven't seen it I suggest do! It's really good for a little sci-fi movie! I love it more then the remake! As for the remake, it was alright but it's pretty much what you expect with Keanu Reeves! It's certainly darker then the original, but I prefer the original over all!
Great movie, I give the film 5 "SCREWBALLS" out of 5!
