3/4  The Day the Earth Stood Still (the good one)
I don't remember ever seeing the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still", but of course I had to watch it before seeing the new version. (To learn how that worked out for me, read my review of it.)

One way I can summarize it is that ... (read full)

4/4  gort like humans (not)
klatuu barada nictoe (sp?) the magic words in army of darkness, was a reference to this movie. If its good enough for Mr. Raimi, its good enough for the rest of us.
made during the hight of the cold war, it shows an alien who's none to ha... (read full)

3.5/4  The Day the Earth Stood Still Quick Review
This is a compelling film that proves that character and story are more important than special effects. The film did contain 17 smoking incidents, earning it a SmokeScreeners rating of 4 Butts! www.smokescreeners.org

4/4  The Day the Earth Stood Still Quick Review
Forget the remake, this is classic sci-fi at its best. You don't need flash when you have a gripping story and memorable characters.

3.5/4  The Day the Earth Stood Still Quick Review
Socially relevant Sci-Fi classic remains of the genre's absolute best.

4/4  The Day the Earth Stood Still Quick Review
One of the best sci-fi movies all time, this 1951 classic is a movie that holds up well and should not be overlooked. If you are into 50's sci-fi or enjoy a good sci-fi drama, this is it!

5/5 Nice set with old and new versions
  by J. Braeking (Richland Hills, TX USA)
Received in good order on time. I never have any problems with Amazon.

Nice updated version of the original. I always liked this movie as I am a sci-fi person at heart. (Have all Star Trek movies.) Good tie-back queues so you know it is a remake and doesn't try to out-do the original. Of course, efx are modern.

Overall, a keeper.

1/5 The Day the Earth Stood Still / Keanu Reeves
  by R. Ries
For those expecting a remake of the original, pass this one up. Very disapointing. Special effects, just OK, and that was the highlight of the film. Bad writing, so-so acting, and lots of noise. Story line disjointed, but the only thing this movie has in common with the original is the title.

5/5 How dare they!
  by Kurtis Wichmann (CA, USA)
Those dirt Tree Huggers, unlike the wonderful big corporations and talk show hosts, who are only looking out for our best interests, are out there making trouble and trying to change the AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE only for their own selfish motives! HOW DARE THEY PUT A MESSAGE IN A MOVIE! We go to the movies for mindless entertainment, not to be told what morons we are! I can't go on. I need to go out and kill something small and defenseless - that'll make me feel much better. ;-

Yep, for lovers of the original, who can't stand anyone trying their hand at old stories, it's a real bummer. And, Keanu, love ya man, but you need to learn to act, really. But, sorry dried up old hags, I liked it. It was great popcorn fodder!

5/5 Better than the original
  by Jason (Seattle)
This isn't the same movie as the original, and that's a good thing. The original was all right for a cold war cautionary tale but it wasn't great science fiction. To my ears, the original sounded preachy and Klaatu seemed too much like a charming man rather than an alien. The new movie is a variation on the original rather than a remake. (Why do a remake? Just watch the original if that's the story you want to see.) The new version's plot fit together well and raised important issues about humanity's place in the ecosystem. That might offend those who take the view that humanity simply has dominion over everything else by virtue of ability or divine right, but it's a serious issue. By focusing on this issue, the new movie is far more relevant going forward than the old one. The new movie conveys more of the story through action rather than speeches and Keanu Reeves does a great job conveying the impression of an alien mind trying to interact with us. PS: Some folks have expressed anger at the film's portrayal of the US government as being run by warmongering idiots. (Remember the Iraq war, which was necessary to start due to the fictional weapons of mass destruction?) You have to remember this movie was made during the George W. Bush years. The portrayal looks accurate for that time frame. It's possible this aspect of the film will eventually seem dated if we're lucky enough to experience more responsible leadership in the future.

4/5 Earth on Double Secret Probation - Blu-ray 3-Disk Release
  by A. Dent (Minas Anor, GD)
BRIEFLY
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This is quite a decent remake of the 1951 B&W classic. Early 21st Century technology adds color, better special effects and first-class surround sound and the the Blu-ray edition INCLUDES the complete 1951 classic remastered with 5.1 surround sound.


THE FEATURE DISK
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Has the movie itself and a solid supplement of special features and options such as a commentary sound track, deleted scenes, documentaries on the making of the movie, 'Watching the Skies in Search of ET' featurette, another one titled 'The Day the Earth Was Green', discussing the News Corp's (Fox) efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and a rather silly 'built your own GORT' game.

The main Blu-ray specific feature is the PIP Bonus-View titled Klaatu's Unseen Artifacts which consists in watching the movie with a little PIP window showing related information.

Video is, obviously, a crisp 1080p and the best audio in English is an extraordinary DTS-HD Master Audio sound track. Alternative Dolby Digital 5.1 sound tracks are available in French and Spanish.

Subtitles can be selected for several languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Korean and Mandarin.


THE DIGITAL COPY DISK
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Allows for transfers to PC and Macs. It is not compatible with Sony's PSP or Microsoft's Zune.

The access code is set to expire on April 6, 2011,


THE 1951 RELEASE DISK
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Has the complete 1951 B&W edition on a Blu-ray (NOT a DVD) disk with 5.1 surround sound.


THE MOVIE CRITIQUE
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While I agree that this is a pretty close remake of the 1951 original, it's interesting to note how the driver behind the aliens decision to exterminate humanity changed in very much the same way the UN's claims over individual states' sovereignty changed in the 50+ years since the first movie's release. The 1951 aliens declared they had the right to intervene not because earthlings were slaughtering each other - that was none of the aliens business according to Klaatu - but because Earth was about to become a threat to intergalactic peace. It was the equivalent of these days' preemptive wars of choice where a nation such as Iraq was declared guilty and deserving of bombardment, invasion and occupation for being a future threat to peace on Earth. The aliens of the current release were taking action because they disagreed with the way humans were endangering life on Earth. Having proclaimed themselves the defenders of 'complex life' anywhere in the Universe, these aliens were assuming themselves the right to exterminate the species they found to be a threat to... 'complex life' and were doing it simply because they could - might makes right. This would be the equivalent of the after-the-fact justification of the Iraq intervention as a holy mission to spread human rights, women rights, religious tolerance, democracy, diversity and a free market culture to the occupied country.

To the extent that we accept that the motives behind the aliens intervention and the process they followed to decide the fate of humans were well... alien and somewhat hard to comprehend, the new version is not overly-preachy or badly directed or acted. We are spared of any debate over carbon footprints, climate change or the fate of specific species and, instead, all we see is the story of a concerned scientist - Jennifer Connely - and her cute stepson to change the mind of the all-powerful and alien Klaatu and persuade him that humanity should be spared complete extermination, at least temporarily, so that we could prove ourselves worthy of living. There is no point to debate with Klaatu the aliens' right to intervene. They have the ability to do what they please with us because they can so the choice is to either die with dignity or beg for mercy. Jennifer Connely's character begs for mercy and there is no preachiness in that.

I have no issues with the acting, by the way. Keanu Reeves was the perfect choice for an alien. He projects aloofness, seemingly unphased by his setting in motion a process that would result in the deaths of billions. Jennifer Connely does not overact either but, as the one determined to save our species, she is believable in her quiet desperation. The cute boy - Jaden Smith - did not bother me too much. I can accept that the sight of a woman taking care of a cute and bratty boy not her son might have contributed to Klaatu's change of mind. The GORT, a CGI creation and not an actor, was in many ways superior to the 1951 version but that's to be expected. Kathy Bates disappoints a little in her depiction of a US Secy of Defense - too open-minded. John Cleese not convincing as a super-bright scientist but his is a secondary part.


RATING
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It's an enthusiastic 5 stars for the Blu-ray 3-disk edition and somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for the movie itself.

I am grateful for the inclusion of the 1951 original, I loved the quality of the picture and found the DTS-HD MA soundtrack to be exceptional. I found some of the special features to be worth watching. The movie itself, while the premise was somewhat dubious - but CAN we possibly understand the aliens' minds before we've met one? - the acting and the special effects were good.

Overall, 3.5, rounded up to 4 stars should be well deserved.