Showing posts with label The Day the Earth Stood Still. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Day the Earth Stood Still. Show all posts

Sunday, December 21, 2008

The Day the Earth Stood Still

No where do I begin reviewing the movie from. First of all, the cast is great – Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, Jennifer Conelly as Dr Helen and Jaden Smith as Jacob. All of them are great actors. I knew it was Will Smith’s son when I see that afro, really loved the hair and boy did he act his part well, particularly the scene at the cemetery when he pleaded for Klaatu to bring back his dead father before lamenting how life is unfair in a sea of tears with Helen. Watching that scene nearly brought tears to my eyes, it was already on the verge of falling but I kept it in. Heard some moviegoers sobbing though. Reeves also did a wonderful job putting a straight face acting as the alien who is trying to save Earth. I repeat, Earth and not Mankind. Jennifer Connelly was perfect for a role because she can both show her dark, strong face as well as a puss-in-boot look like in Shrek2. So I guess the casting was great.

The visual effects was nice, from the orbs to the nano metallic insects. The panning was well done with the soundtrack complementing it, especially the part where the army were firing missiles and the music was the slow call which contains no words that I know. But the only thing I found cliché was the showing of the world icons and the McDonald’s logo. Really spoils the movie.

The message of the movie was noble – that the human race is the one destroying Earth and it was justified that the elimination of one species, in this case the humans was enough to allow Earth to recover. To me, humans are the only species that is capable of destruction of such massive proportions, taking with it other species as well. I don’t think there have been such a species other than us that were capable of such damage. Nonetheless, the movie also makes an excuse for us to continue the damage, that it is in our nature and that we need to be on the brink of destruction to be able to change and evolve.

Klaatu: "If the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the Earth survives."

"It means so much that how humans can cause so much damage. Look around us, has the world seen anything better? Not to me.."

"Call me cynical, but this movie really drives the message of conservation, not just for the benefit of Mankind which is all we ever care about but for the survival of the planet. Sometimes we don’t realise how tangled everything is on this planet."
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Day the Earth Stood Still

t's definitely a unique kind of movie promotion, especially with a Hollywood movie and with an A-lister in attendance. Best surprise of all was that the A-lister was Keanu Reeves, and for him to be in a panel made up entirely of scientists (with movie director Scott Derrickson) piqued my interest.

It isn't because I thought Keanu Reeves isn't smart enough to hold himself together among intellectuals. It's just that Keanu usually don't talk that much, and here he is placed among people who talk quite extensively about the presence of extraterrestrial beings and other scientific what-ifs.

This took place at the California Institute of Technology, where director Derrickson and Reeves held the promotion of their movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still. As expected of an audience where science and fact is the medium of learning, the discussion focused more on the the relationship and differences of art and science rather than on the entertainment values of the movie.

I can easily understand how Keanu Reeves would be so awkward in this situation. But I applaud the fact that he really came to the event. He said so little, and some were said jokingly and saracstically. Can't blame him, really. There were strange questions aired, like "Are you human?," to which Reeves replied, "If you cut me, do I not bleed?"

The whole story:
The Day the Earth Stood Still: Perspectives on the Remake

I find this a very refreshing approach towards marketing a movie to the public. It's not star-studded and red-carpeted, but it still gained some attention. The promotion was also direct and, well, educational. I'm of a mind that other movies should do this, especially movies that touch on intriguing topics like extraterrestrial beings or the existence of God.
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