Film Review--The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
directed by Scott Derrickson
written by David Scarpa
based on the 1951 screenplay by Edmund H. North
starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, John Cleese, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm

Promoted as a “reimagining” of the classic 1951 original, this film updates the Nuclear War terror threat to include issues regarding human kind’s continual assault on the planet and it’s resources.

The same basic concept is in place and only the specifics have been modified. In this version a giant orb approaches earth instead of a typical looking spacecraft. It has knocked out a key satellite so nothing can be done to prevent it from entering earth’s atmosphere. Instead of landing in Washington D.C. like the original, this one lands in Central Park in New York City. An alien creature emerges and a woman named Helen Benson (Connelly) who is an astrobiologist at Princeton reaches out to touch his hand. Before she can do so the invader is shot down with a single bullet. His name is, of course, Klaatu (Reeves) and he has come to investigate human kind’s unwitting destruction of its home planet.

The film builds tension and atmosphere by creating an air of mystery surrounding the orb and especially its interior. Klaatu emerges from a placenta like substance and grows into his adult form rapidly. He is queried and tested but reveals nothing due to his insistence that he speak to the U.N. council. He is denied access by Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson (Bates) who would rather he speak to her directly because she has the President’s ear. With the help of Helen he escapes and becomes a fugitive wanted by just about every military and civilian operation throughout the country.

Keanu Reeves is perfectly cast here as a wholly objective, unemotional alien being who takes some time adjusting to his human form. Reeves moves so methodically throughout this film that the end result is something akin to poetry. His maneuverings possess a hypnotic quality as his monotone voice soothes the audience into sympathizing with his character. His Klaatu possesses a terrible aspect that is far more pronounced than in the first film. This Klaatu comes with the understanding that man kind is inherently violent and destructive and will destroy itself if left to its own devices. It’s essentially the same attitude as the original but in this one human beings are held accountable for an ongoing desecration of the planet that has resulted from years of mismanagement. In the 1951 version, mankind’s thirst for blood and addiction to war and whole scale annihilation is linked to the potential destruction of the planet by deliberate means. Today man kind is simply pig ignorant of its impact on Earth and continues to pursue a course of death unabated.

The special effects certainly drive this film and the overall aesthetic of the picture is alluring and consistently dynamic. Unfortunately, the personal story that would be at its center is overshadowed by the large scale aspect that blots out any value the interpersonal relationships might otherwise have enjoyed. We have a mother and her son and they are left to represent all of mankind. But their story lacks any significant drive and the end result is a story without moorings. In the end they prove to be poorly drawn and as generic and meaningless as just about every human being who is cinematically caught up in a cataclysm of this sort. The characters are drab ciphers who are given no depth and no purpose. They are merely alleged victims who must navigate themselves around the line of fire.

The military and police forces are branded as thoroughly hysterical in this film and it’s rather enjoyable to see them scramble about because they have absolutely no idea what is happening or how to stop it. We live in an age where we demand that our military be forceful and aggressive against any and all threats to our autonomy. In this film, the technology that supports every military and governmental exercise is brought to its knees revealing just how helpless mankind it without its gadgets. The film can be read as a warning to humans about what would happen if an electrical storm wiped out everything from our vaunted computer data banks. No more credit cards. No defense system. No air traffic control. This film hints at this and they could have gone much further with this idea. Indeed, in my estimation the wholesale destruction of the earth is merely threatened and naturally everyone returns to live another day. It’s disappointing to sense that an opportunity has been lost. If this film took its pro-environment message more seriously it would have brought much more hell upon the heads of allegedly innocent civilians. The promise is empty and the film collapses as it tries to tell its story.

The film is at its best when Klaatu and his massive robot companion GORT pose a direct threat to the continuation of the human race. Just the threat that GORT represents is enough for the film to accelerate its progress. Once it becomes a human interest story–once Klaatu begins to see another side of humans–it’s like a giant wind balloon has burst leaving nothing but debris. I understand that human kind must be saved from itself but this film gives mankind the same choices it had before the arrival of Klaatu. What was really the point? In the first one humans were threatened by Klaatu who clearly stated that their own fascist police force were given absolute authority and strike at every instance of hostility they encounter. The idea in that film was that mankind is incapable of guiding itself and if it steps out of line it will be severely punished. Here there is no lesson to be learned. The alien shows up, takes a few samples, and returns to his planet as mysteriously as he arrived.

The film unsurprisingly tells much of its story through the eyes of a rebellious child. Jacob Benson (Smith) is initially wary of Klaatu and doesn’t trust him. Gradually he comes to understand Klaatu and eventually accepts him. Jacob takes the place of Bobby Benson from the first film and Smith’s performance is far less grating than the original actor’s. He is nuanced and genuinely likable in this role but that doesn’t necessary translate to a necessary character.

It is all but impossible to imagine an actress who can compete with Patricia Neal in the role of Helen Benson. Fortunately Jennifer Connelly understands the pitfalls and makes no attempt to follow in Neal’s footsteps. The film makers understand this as well by giving this Helen a lucrative and important job that puts her right at the center of the action. Helen is vital and her work has the capacity to forge a new understanding of the potentialities of extra planetary lifeforms. Patricia Neal’s character was merely a secretary and played no role in the action that surrounded her.

Overall, this film captures the essence of the first film but sacrifices its humanity in the process. By the end it feels like humanity ought to be wiped out for their hubris and disregard for plant and animal life. Nothing is presented in this film that warrants the continuation of the human race. Humans are depicted as blind cows silently chewing their cud as the planet quickly dies. Perhaps it’s an exaggeration as we still do not fully comprehend on a local level the severity of the damage we have actually done. This film clearly suggests that there is a problem and that no alien race is going to come visit us to warn us about our impending doom if we don’t clean up our act. It is stated by Professor Barnhardt (Cleese) that it is at the precise moment of a catastrophe, whilst one is looking over a precipice that mankind is able to change. The impact of what we are doing to harm Planet Earth hasn’t approached critical mass and until then there will be no great upheaval and all natural systems will continue to disintegrate.