The movie has the air of missed opportunity about it - but as reimaginings go, it's no global disaster.
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05/12/09
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
21
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:175
Fresh:36
Rotten:139
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: Heavy on special effects, but without a coherent story at its base, The Day the Earth Stood Still is subpar re-imagining of the 1951 science-fiction classic.
Theatrical Release:12-12-2008
Synopsis: A remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic of the same name, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL follows astrobiologist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) as she is unceremoniously plucked from her everyday life... [More]
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, John Cleese
Director: Scott Derrickson
Reviews for The Day the Earth Stood Still
Add to that some unimpressive CGI and a bizarrely abrupt ending and you have the day your buttocks went to sleep, your brain melted and your will to live evaporated.
12/12/08
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.
12/12/08
Top CriticSending a flying v-sign right at the splendid Robert Wise original from 1951, this daft and pointless sci-fi remake has very little to recommend it.
12/12/08
Top CriticIt's not good enough, at this point in the game, to serve up this collection of cliches and expect anyone to be fooled or entertained by it for a minute.
12/12/08
Top CriticIt’s divine tongue-in-cheek tosh.
12/12/08
Top CriticKeanu Reeves stars, giving the kind of torpid performance that lesser beings can only approximate by necking a hundredweight of Temazepam. The lights are on at the top of the spaceship, but there's no one at the controls.
12/12/08
Top CriticImpossible, we can handle, but the eschewal of all internal logic starts to feel like an insult, the cinematography is dismal, and the cocktail of lazy CGI and po-faced, sub-Al-Gore environment lecture leaves you light-headed with tedium.
12/12/08
Top CriticNeeding only to span the emotional range from blank to sincere, Reeves is pretty well cast. Sadly, there’s not enough Gort and too much of Smith’s squirt.
12/12/08
Cranking the action dial up to 11, Derrickson retools an iconic piece of sci-fi with lots of big guns but extra smarts would have been welcome. It’s bang up to date but a tad underwhelming. Not the disaster some fanboys predicted.
12/12/08
It almost feels like even the cast are wondering why they bothered making a movie that didn’t really need making. Flat, but not terrible.
12/12/08
The Christmas turkey has landed, in the form of 20th Century Fox's worst blockbuster ever.
12/12/08
The movie's last quarter gets clogged up with special effects, including what looks like a gigantic swarm of locusts that eat through whole juggernauts. Whether this eco-warning will have a morally improving effect on audiences is uncertain.
12/12/08
This remake of the 1951 favourite is oddly botched, trying to combine some timely themes with the structure of a more conventional action thriller.
12/12/08
Rarely has an alien invasion (or the possible eradication of humanity) seemed less gripping.
12/11/08
[A] very, very bad film.
12/11/08
Top CriticMany fans of the original will hate it. A pity. Because it redocorates the tale while remaining true to its theme. Keanu Reeves plays Klaatu with all the expressiveness of a wok. I have never seen a wok better portrayed.
12/11/08
Robert Wise's original is well served by 20th Century Fox's popcorny but respectful update, a sturdy, entertaining sci-fi actioner.
10/09/09
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09/18/09
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09/08/09
Latest News for The Day the Earth Stood Still
December 14, 2008:
Box Office Wrapup: Klaatu Stands Still at #1
Fearing extinction, humans across North America lined up to see the new sci-fi thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still which debuted at number one more than doubling the gross of... More...
December 12, 2008:
Exclusive: Milton's Paradise Lost Movie in 3D?
Could Scott Derrickson's upcoming adaptation of Milton's Paradise Lost be shot in 3D? Perhaps so, the director told Rotten Tomatoes recently. More...
December 12, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: The Day The Earth Stood Still, Still Stinks
With Christmas looming large, and no Potter on the schedule, we have two fantasy flicks in the UK cinemas jostling for your hard-earned galleons. We have sci-fi remake The Day... More...
December 12, 2008:
Exclusive: Derrickson Off West Memphis 3 Movie Devil’s Knot
Emily Rose helmer Scott Derrickson was to direct a planned big-screen adaptation of the West Memphis Three story, but rights issues have forced him to leave the project. More...
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