Don't Believe the Trailer

My dad and I went to the cinema yesterday and saw the remake to "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Both of us are fans of science fiction, so we know a good sci-fi flick when we see it. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them.

The plot is somewhat similar to the original - an alien emissary is sent to deliver an important message to the human race. We don't exactly welcome this visitor with open arms and destruction and mayhem ensue. I think the movie started with a really good premise - what appears to be an invasion is actually an intervention. However, this movie takes the initial good ideas, throws them on the ground, beats them with a large stick and then throws boulders on them. That's how badly they messed this up.

There are several problems with this film. Firstly, they turn it into a Greenpeace sermon. It's as if this movie director thought we needed to be told - again - that we are destroying the planet. Secondly, instead of focusing on the action and intrigue, this film veers into the drama genre. About halfway through, the film becomes about the relationship between Klaatu and the son of the female lead, Jacob. This seems like laziness on the part of the writer/director - soopy, unbelievable drama is easier than developing tight, suspenseful action. Did they even consider the target audience when they made this movie? Thirdly, it wasn't an enjoyable movie to sit through. I did not feel entertained or moved or excited, it was too pedestrian and predictable and bland for that. Suprisingly, this film was quite anti-American. Several times, the American policy of 'shoot now, ask questions later' is shown to be foolhardy. 

I will admit, some things in the film were kinda cool. Seeing the modern update of GORT was intriguing. Some of GORT's defence mechanisms had me going "Oooh, ah!" However, you can't hang a movie on cool little tidbits. After seeing a large proportion of average movies at the cinema, I ask myself - why do I even bother going?