Rarely have I seen a big-budget movie that was as bland, predictable and shoddily put together as 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. I have not seen the black-and-white original from the 50s, but in comparison to this remake it must be an utter thrill-ride.
Almost every actor manages to embarrass him- or herself in this mess of a movie. Keanu Reeves is as wooden as Gort, the faceless robot at his side - but at least his character is supposed to be an emotionless alien - the rest of the cast has no such excuse. Jennifer Connelly, talented and beautiful as she is, is stuck in the same absent-minded, weepy-eyed rut she has been in for most of her recent performances. She is supposed to be the main active character of the story but ends up as a seemingly passive spectator. Bates is so robotic in the delivery of her lines you almost suspect her to be revealed as an android in the movie.
The plot is riddled with holes big enough to fly a spaceship through them, the dialog is trivial, as are the emotions of the lead characters. All suspension of disbelief aside - I doubt a supremely advanced alien being will be convinced to overturn an important intergalactic plan thousands of years in the making after having a cup of tea with a nice old biologist (a miscast John Cleese) and witnessing a few tears from a mother and child.
The direction borders on the incompetent, the sets are drab, grey and uninspiring and overall the movie has a sense of miniature scale when in fact it is advertised as a bombastic science fiction drama.
Finally, the special effects are among the worst I have seen in a big-budget production to date. Utterly lifeless, regurgitated and decidedly non-frightening.
Save your money and seek out some well-produced and more thought-provoking science fiction material instead of risking to be dumbed down by this tripe.
A major disappointment.
Almost every actor manages to embarrass him- or herself in this mess of a movie. Keanu Reeves is as wooden as Gort, the faceless robot at his side - but at least his character is supposed to be an emotionless alien - the rest of the cast has no such excuse. Jennifer Connelly, talented and beautiful as she is, is stuck in the same absent-minded, weepy-eyed rut she has been in for most of her recent performances. She is supposed to be the main active character of the story but ends up as a seemingly passive spectator. Bates is so robotic in the delivery of her lines you almost suspect her to be revealed as an android in the movie.
The plot is riddled with holes big enough to fly a spaceship through them, the dialog is trivial, as are the emotions of the lead characters. All suspension of disbelief aside - I doubt a supremely advanced alien being will be convinced to overturn an important intergalactic plan thousands of years in the making after having a cup of tea with a nice old biologist (a miscast John Cleese) and witnessing a few tears from a mother and child.
The direction borders on the incompetent, the sets are drab, grey and uninspiring and overall the movie has a sense of miniature scale when in fact it is advertised as a bombastic science fiction drama.
Finally, the special effects are among the worst I have seen in a big-budget production to date. Utterly lifeless, regurgitated and decidedly non-frightening.
Save your money and seek out some well-produced and more thought-provoking science fiction material instead of risking to be dumbed down by this tripe.
A major disappointment.
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