BAD MOVIE REVIEW: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Yet another disappointing remake graces our coveted theatres. I was really hoping I would enjoy it, but in the end I was just disappointed. I think this is the first time I've strolled into a movie having already seen the original and then comparing it to the remake. I understand now how enraged some of you get when they trample on your beloved movies. The story started out great. It was right on par with the original but really spiffied up. The basic craft landing in central park was blown up to epic proportions and I rather liked that. It was great seeing it done that way. Then about a third of the way the film switched gears and took a different direction but at the same time adding in pieces of the original storyline. Thats where this film lost me. This film completely loses the entire purpose of the original.

The heart is gone and all that is left is a pretty looking skin that looks nice but is really not effective in any way. The effects in this movie are awesome. There is an over abundance of CGI usage in this film which I am usually against, but since it was a major motion picture I assumed that it would be there and I actually wasn't put off by any of it. It looked great! I guess in my mind so long as they stay away from creating humans with computer technology, it probably isn't so bad.

What most disappointed me about this film were the main character Klato and his trusty sidekick robot Gort. They presented Klato as some high strung a-hole forcing his views on the people. As much as I love how they gave him powers, I really hated the way he was portrayed. They completely lost the point of him coming to Earth and living amongst us for a short period. There was no happiness and understanding...he just magically understands at one point in the movie. As far as Gort...totally wrong. As cool as he is as a behemoth, they totally lost the point of his presence too. Sure it vaguely ties in, but there is no genius explanation for him like there was at the end of the original. The whole military thing about them naming him pissed me off too. I actually mumbled swearwords to myself. In the end it actually wasn't that awful. If you love the original you are gonna hate it, but at least theres Jennifer Connelly to look at most of the time and the special effects are top notch. Its pretty to look at, but all the soul of the original is lost on this one.