What Do The Critics Say?

"Visual effects supervisor Jeff Okun has given "DESS" a sinister look and alien-like texture. In fact, the visual effects are really outstanding. I especially liked GORT. Reeves's Klaatu is far more menacing and goal-oriented. Far superior to the silly robot in a silver jumper B&W original." Victoria Alexander FILMSINREVIEW "Keanu Reeves plays an alien who doesn't talk much and shows no emotion. I really think he has found his perfect role." Kevin Carr 7M PICTURES "An entertaining rethink of the 1951 classic." Carrie Rickey PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER "Better to just sit back and enjoy The Day the Earth Stood Still for what it is: a fair amount of fun." Bill Goodykoontz ARIZONA REPUBLIC "Decent enough stab at being what the old movie was to its time, following the same basic plot, full of respectful references to its model, updated gallery of fairly imaginative special effects." William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER "The close encounter in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" doesn't exactly begin with a warm "how do you do" for the being sent to warn humans they are on the wrong course.When the visitor emerges from a giant sphere parked in Central Park, he's shot. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" doesn't lack heart. It's surprisingly sincere." Lisa Kennedy DENVER POST

"Keanu Reeves was clearly born to play Klaatu, the alien from another planet who visits Earth with a dire warning. The actor's blank facial expressions ensure he's a believable ET, and make this Scott Derrickson remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic a worthy remake." Katherine Monk CANWEST NEWS SERVICE "If you want to see all the cool special effects in this remake, watch the trailer. If you want the extreme environmentalist agenda that goes with them, buy a ticket." Kevin A. Ranson MOVIECRYPT "Even if you know the original by heart, the new Earth has a couple of surprises in store, although the message remains the same: Watch it, Man." Rene Rodriguez MIAMI HERALD "Solemn, sober and efficient, The Day the Earth Stood Still gets the job done and moves on." Ann Hornaday WASHINGTON POST "A lively reinvention of the 1951 science fiction classic with a fitting ecological message about saving the planet." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE "A remake that does not disgrace the original, this is sufficiently different to stand alone and just as relevant in its concerns: as well as succeeding (arguably better) as a thriller." Helen OHara EMPIRE MAGAZINE

The Inside Story Mankind has long been fascinated by the possibility of life beyond Earth. Science fiction literature and films have served to not only entertain, but to address our questions, hopes and fears about extraterrestrial life. Such speculation has captivated our collective imagination and inspired the development of new technology to explore the farthest reaches of our universe and the very real possibility that we are not alone. One of the most original and innovative films of the genre is the 1951 sci-fi classic "The Day The Earth Stood Still", a truly groundbreaking movie that has influenced generations of sci-fi enthusiasts, authors and filmmakers. Directed by legendary filmmaker Robert Wise, the film tells the story of a benevolent, human-looking alien called Klaatu, who lands his spaceship in Washington D.C. with the goal of meeting with the leaders of Earth to warn that the violence that man is committing against man actually threatens the survival of other civilizations in the universe. With the help of Gort, his giant robotic bodyguard, Klaatu eludes the authorities who attempt to capture him and immerses himself in human culture to gain a better understanding of a species that seems committed to conflict and destruction. He befriends a widow and her son, and through the prism of their friendship he learns much about humanity – and ultimately challenges mankind to be its best version of itself. The film was revolutionary, not only in its then cutting edge conceptualization of aliens, spaceships and robots, but in its audacious variation on a familiar allegory for the escalating tensions of the early Cold War era. "The entire canon of science fiction in America in the Fifties was constructed in such a way as to reinforce Western fears of the Eastern Bloc," notes producer Erwin Stoff ("Chain Reaction"). "The 'other' to be feared was always a metaphor for Communism. What was remarkable about "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was that it placed the onus of responsibility on everyone equally. The 'other' to fear was ourselves: the nature of man and the terrible violence that humanity is capable of." Another aspect of the film that sets it apart is the perspective from which it unfolds. "One of the really unique things about the story is that it’s told from the alien’s point of view," Stoff observes. "We’ve seen a lot of movies about aliens, but rarely do we see ourselves as the aliens." The idea of remaking "The Day the Earth Stood Still" first struck Stoff, who has managed Reeves for over 20 years, in the wake of their success on the 1994 blockbuster "Speed". During a meeting with at Twentieth Century Fox studios, Stoff noticed a poster for the classic film hanging on the wall. He remembers telling the studio, "Forget about the project I came here to talk to you about. What we should do is develop "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with Keanu playing Klaatus. It seemed like a great idea, but for one reason or another, it didn’t happen. Then, as destiny would have it, a draft showed up on my doorstep twelve years later." As re-conceived by screenwriter David Scarpa ("The Last Castle") and director Scott Derrickson ("Love in the Ruins"), the premise for the 2008 version of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is rooted not in man’s violence against man, but in mankind's destruction of the Earth’s environment. "I’m a tremendous fan of the original film," says Derrickson, who graduated from USC School of Cinema-Television in 1996. "It was so interesting and original and progressive for its time: in the visual effects, in the way it commented on the Cold War tensions of that era, in the idea of seeing humanity from an outsider’s perspective. It’s a truly great film, but most modern audiences haven’t seen it." "I feel like people deserve to know this story, and this was a fantastic opportunity to retell it in a way that addresses the issues and conflicts that are affecting us now," Derrickson poses. "There is nothing the original film says about the nature of mankind that isn’t every bit as timely and relevant to this generation of movie audiences," Stoff (who worked with Keanu Reeves on "Constantine") believes. "It’s the specifics of the way we now have the capability to destroy ourselves that have changed. The evidence that we are doing potentially irreparable harm to the environment is pretty irrefutable. The challenges that we face today are no less daunting, and if we fail at them, no less lethal, than the ones that we faced before the end of the Cold War." "In re-imagining this picture, we had an opportunity to capture a real kind of angst that people are living with today, a very present concern that the way we are living may have disastrous consequences for the planet," says 2008 Bambi Award winner Reeves. "I feel like this movie is responding to those anxieties. It’s holding a mirror up to our relationship with nature and asking us to look at our impact on the planet, for the survival of our species and others." For Derrickson, the project is the unforeseen culmination of a close encounter he enjoyed with two time Oscar ® winning director Robert Wise ("West Side Story" 1962 & "The Sound of Music" 1966) as a film student. "He told me that if I was interested in genre films, then I should make my first film a horror film, because a horror film will really show what you can do as a director," Derrickson recalls. "I kept that in mind, and it was one of the reasons why I made the successful horror film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" as my first film." "A lot of my enthusiasm for getting involved with this project and wanting Keanu to be part of it was the fact that I had seen "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and was completely knocked out by Scott as a director," Stoff, who executive produced 1999's "The Matrix" says. "There is a thriller element to this film, a real sense of danger about Klaatu. You’re not sure what he’s going to do next, or how far he’s going to take things. Scott is a masterful storyteller in terms of creating that kind of tension and mystery and danger." "Klaatu comes to Earth to assess whether or not human beings are capable of changing their behavior, or if ‘the problem’ needs to be eliminated," says Reeves. "Klaatu comes to Earth with a pretty negative view of humanity," says Derrickson. "He has certain ideas about our destructiveness and our reluctance to change, and his impressions of us based on his initial experiences here don’t do anything to change that opinion." Despite his preconceived notions about mankind, Klaatu approaches his mission with an eerie detachment. "There was a take that Keanu did one day that really freaked me out," says 1991 Oscar ® winning actress Kathy Bates ("Misery" 1990), who portrays the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Regina Jackson. "I don’t know what happened, but his eyes just went black. It was a magical moment and I saw it up close and personal. For those few moments, he transformed himself into this other creature that wasn’t human at all. I’ll never forget it." "I tried to bring objectivity to the character and the way he observes everything around him," Reeves explained. "There is a kind of compression to Klaatu. He is an alien entity contained in a human body, and when he is looking out of that body, he is just looking out. But over the course of the film, he is gradually affected by the people around him and, he experiences what it means to be human, and to have hope." "I know Keanu as an actor so incredibly well, and honestly, I knew there was nobody else who could play Klaatu," Stoff ("The Lake House") attests. "I knew how right it was for him. It is the perfect union of actor and role. Keanu has a unique ability as an actor to simultaneously evoke a quality of cynicism and optimism. And those are two very important aspects of the character." Klaatu’s experience on Earth and his judgment of mankind is greatly impacted by astrobiologist Dr Helen Benson, who is played by 2002 Oscar ® winning actress Jennifer Connelly ("A Beautiful Mind"). "As an astrobiologist, Helen studies the characteristics of life that you might find in other worlds," says Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountainview, California, and an astrobiology advisor on the film. "That doesn’t necessarily mean the kinds of aliens that will stand there and talk to you." So what are they looking for. "Astrobiologists study the kinds of very small, single cell organisms that live in extreme environments here on Earth to gain insight into the kinds of critters we might find living in inhospitable conditions under the sands of Mars or on the moons of Jupiter," Shosta replied. "I wanted Helen to be the audience’s way into the movie," Derrickson explains. "She really struggles with some of the ethical choices that she has to make in the course of the story. I don’t think she ever counted on making contact with an extraterrestrial being that is as sentient and communicative as Klaatu." "To me, the character of Helen in this film feels quite different from the character played by Patricia Neal in the original. She has a vocation that involves her more directly with Klaatu, and she plays a more crucial role in the story and in his experience of humanity," Connelly says. The filmmakers had no doubt that Connelly would bring her unparalleled dramatic veracity to her role. "We needed an actress who radiates the kind of intelligence and compassion that is essential to the character of Helen, and Jennifer was perfect in this regard," says Stoff. As Helen attempts to cope with the massive global catastrophe that is set in motion by Klaatu, the alien witnesses a much more intimate familial drama being played out between the scientist and her rebellious eleven year old stepson Jacob. The death of Helen’s husband, Jacob’s father, has left them both bereft, adrift and consumed by grief. "The turbulence in their relationship has come to a crisis point. Something has to shift," Connelly says. "Scott and Jaden and I spent a lot of time talking about the conflict between Helen and Jacob. How are they not taking responsibility? How do they work it out? How do they make that transition? It was a difficult balance to hit, but Jaden is so interesting and talented, he created a character that you want to root for. And I think their relationship really grounds the film. Unaware that Klaatu is an alien being, Jacob (played by Will Smith's youngest son) is suspicious of and threatened by a man he sees as Helen’s potential replacement for his dad. "Jacob is not always a nice character," says Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness"). "He doesn’t understand a lot of his feelings, or what this guy is doing hanging around his mom. Jacob is kind of the opposite of me, which is why it was so hard to play him." "Jaden has great acting instincts. Unlike most child actors, he has an ability to lose himself in a scene and do things that are unexpected," says Derrickson. "He really rose to the challenge," Reeves notes. 1989 BAFTA Film Award winner John Cleese ("A Fish Called Wanda"), who plays Nobel Prize winning physicist Professor Barnhardt, says he's not terribly "interested in whether or not there is extraterrestrial life. I’m much more interested why we’re here on the planet. Is there any point to it all? Is there a rule book somewhere? And where can you get decent caviar at a reasonable price?" Synopsis

Renowned astrobiologist Dr Helen Benson is whisked away from her young stepson by Government Agents who won't reveal why they need her help. Taken to a secret location she discovers why. It is believed a collision with a huge object from deep space is imminent. Instead she will find herself face to face with an alien called Klaatu, who has travelled across the universe to warn of an impending global crisis. When forces beyond Helen’s control treat the extraterrestrial as a hostile and deny his request to address the world’s leaders, she and her estranged stepson Jacob quickly discover the deadly ramifications of Klaatu’s claim that he is 'a friend to the Earth'. Now Helen must find a way to convince the entity who was sent to destroy us that mankind is worth saving. But it may be too late for the process has already begun. And the president has ordered an all out attack on the visitors spaceship.

The Verdict "If you were a big fan of the 'so-called classic' from 1951, the best advice I can give you is to steer clear of this re-imagining of "The Day The Earth Stood Still". While this modern day telling of Klaatu's visit to Earth may not be the biggest kid on the block this holiday period, it certainly is spectacular and carries a timely warning regarding our arrogance towards the plight of our planet and, its long term future. And, unless there's a big change in attitude, I'm just as sure that any visitor(s) to our planet will receive the same 'welcome' as Klaatu. As for Reeves's role in the film, well, it suits his style to a 'T'. Good SFX and storyline. 4 STARS." Crew Bytes "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL" was .......
directed by Scott Derrickson ["Love in the Ruins"]; screenplay by David Scarpa ["The Last Castle"]; supervising art director Leo Award winner Don Macaulay ["Fantastic Four", "Thir13en Ghosts" and ""]; set decoration by Elizabeth Wilcox ["Arctic Blue", "Mystery, Alaska" & "Snow Dogs"]; costume design by Tish Monaghan ["Happy Gilmore", "Cats & Dogs" and "Insomnia"]; production design by David Brisbin ["The Chamber", "The Proposition" and "The Lookout"]; edited by Wayne Wahrman ["Tunnel Vision", "Charlie's Angels" and "I Am Legend"]; cinematography by David Tattersall ["Radioland Murders", "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" and "Vertical Limit"]; original music by Tyler Bates ["Dawn of the Dead", "Slither" and "Doomsday"]. Who's Who

Keanu Reeves Jennifer Connelly Kathy Bates Jaden Smith John Cleese Jon Hamm Kyle Chandler Robert Knepper James Hong John Rothman Sunita Prasad Juan Riedinger Sam Gilroy Tanya Champoux

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Klaatu Helen Benson Regina Jackson Jacob Benson Professor Barnhardt Michael Granier John Driscoll Colonel Mr Wu Dr Myron Rouhani William Kwan Tom Isabel

Run Time 99 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Twentieth Century Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.