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Review: 'Earth Stood Still' falls apart
CNN ^ | Fri December 12, 2008 | Tom Charity

Posted on 12/12/2008 6:50:28 PM PST by CE2949BB

(CNN) -- Call it the second coming.

Klaatu the spaceman first visited these parts in Robert Wise's 1951 Cold War classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still," when he threatened to blow us all up unless we stopped threatening to do the job for him.

Klaatu wasn't exactly greeted with open arms back then -- he was shot and hounded for his troubles -- and if the earth has moved on over the past half century, you wouldn't know it from the trigger-happy welcoming committee that surrounds his luminous snowball of a space craft in New York's Central Park.

Where sci-fi films in the 1950s used to see red(s), today they go green. Directed by Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") and scripted by David Scarpa ("The Last Castle"), "The Day the Earth Stood Still" 2.0 ditches the Cold War theme. Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) means to save the planet, but war isn't the problem. Mankind is the problem.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barf; earthstoodstill; environmentalism; hollyweird; movie; tdtess
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1 posted on 12/12/2008 6:50:28 PM PST by CE2949BB
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To: CE2949BB

Next remake will be Tommy Cruz in White Heat


2 posted on 12/12/2008 6:53:47 PM PST by shadeaud (The only thing we have to fear is fear itself and the executive power of president-elect obammma)
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To: CE2949BB

Another classic film ruined in a remake.

Hollywood sucks.


3 posted on 12/12/2008 6:54:03 PM PST by vladimir998 (Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. St. Jerome)
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To: CE2949BB

4 posted on 12/12/2008 6:54:38 PM PST by Roscoe Karns
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To: CE2949BB

We just watched the original last night on one of the movie channels. It’s one of my all time favorite movies.

I knew this would suck. It’s a Youku or DVD movie.


5 posted on 12/12/2008 6:56:30 PM PST by netmilsmom (Psalm 109:8 - Let his days be few; and let another take his office)
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To: CE2949BB
So.. does it suck because it actually sucks or does it suck because you disagree with the environmental overtones?

Everyone said "The day after tomorrow" sucked because of the global warming crap in it, but as a movie, it rocked.

See, you don't have to agree with the theories espoused in a film in order to enjoy it.

The global warming crap is just that.. crap. It does not detract from the effects or the acting or the production values.

6 posted on 12/12/2008 6:58:31 PM PST by humblegunner (Where my PIE at, fool?)
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To: CE2949BB

And actually, this is wrong...

“Klaatu the spaceman first visited these parts in Robert Wise’s 1951 Cold War classic “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” when he threatened to blow us all up unless we stopped threatening to do the job for him.”

Klaatu tells the crowd that robots like Gort have been given a directive to destroy any planet that is aggressive to another. He even says, “It doesn’t matter what you do to yourselves.”

Understanding that this was really close to the space race, it was about taking over in Space.


7 posted on 12/12/2008 6:59:40 PM PST by netmilsmom (Psalm 109:8 - Let his days be few; and let another take his office)
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To: CE2949BB

Another Hollywood movie about how bad AmeriKKKa is. No surprise here. The original was on last night. It still holds up OK, as far as 50’s sci-fi goes.


8 posted on 12/12/2008 7:00:27 PM PST by ozzymandus
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To: humblegunner

Did you just imply that a Keanu Reeves movie might have good acting? You funny!

Some people require more out of a movie than pretty digital effects.


9 posted on 12/12/2008 7:00:55 PM PST by edge10 (Obama lied, babies died!)
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To: humblegunner

>>Everyone said “The day after tomorrow” sucked because of the global warming crap in it, but as a movie, it rocked.<<

No really, it sucked. Global Warming or no GW, the dialog was lame and the storyline was abstract. The effects were fairly well standard for the time. Tons of CG doesn’t make a great movie.


10 posted on 12/12/2008 7:01:46 PM PST by netmilsmom (Psalm 109:8 - Let his days be few; and let another take his office)
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To: humblegunner

You thought “The Day After Tomorrow” rocked?? Woah, dude.


11 posted on 12/12/2008 7:02:29 PM PST by ozzymandus
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To: CE2949BB

Special effects will never replace talent. The classics relied on talented actors and all the remakes in the owrld cannot compete.

Not only is the talent lacking in acting, there appears little talent left in screenwriting or original ideas.

I’ll stick to my classics.


12 posted on 12/12/2008 7:04:50 PM PST by DakotaRed (Don't you wish you had supported a conservative when you had the chance?)
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To: edge10
Did you just imply that a Keanu Reeves movie might have good acting?

Haven't seen it.

Keanu Reeves is no worse than other actors.

I could give a rats ass about the politics of actors.

I don't look to them for wisdom or political views.

Do you?

13 posted on 12/12/2008 7:05:28 PM PST by humblegunner (Where my PIE at, fool?)
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To: netmilsmom
I loved it when the wolves got loose.

And the tanker floating down the street? Freakin' awesome.

14 posted on 12/12/2008 7:08:35 PM PST by humblegunner (Where my PIE at, fool?)
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To: DakotaRed
Special effects (manifest in their guise as 3D animation) will take over ALL acting. As we speak hundreds of thousands of pimply faced teenagers are sitting at home in their mother's basements eating entirely too many potatochips and drinking too many sodas while they get in 20 to 25 years experience manipulating digital input devices. That's the skill level needed to even begin to learn 3D animation!

Elderly farts on FR, DU and various and assorted other "text based" systems are practicing the skills necessary to write convincing dialog for those 3D animation productions.

Stay on good terms with your kids and they might let you help!

15 posted on 12/12/2008 7:09:34 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: humblegunner

Nor do I. I follow the ‘Shut up and sing’ shool of thought.

I am not a fan of remakes and definitely not re-imagnings.

Keanu Reeves no worse than other actors, I hope none of those are employeed!


16 posted on 12/12/2008 7:09:49 PM PST by edge10 (Obama lied, babies died!)
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To: humblegunner
The global warming crap is just that.. crap. It does not detract from the effects or the acting or the production values.

No. It just makes the story pathetically stupid and offensive, thus rendering the film unwatchable. "The Happening" had the same inane theme of "humans get what they deserve for hurting the environment". Honestly, I don't understand what kind of wretched soul can produce this crap.

17 posted on 12/12/2008 7:09:53 PM PST by Junior_G
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To: CE2949BB

I’ve never, yet, seen a remake that was as good as the original movie.


18 posted on 12/12/2008 7:10:17 PM PST by Signalman
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To: humblegunner
Everyone said "The day after tomorrow" sucked because of the global warming crap in it, but as a movie, it rocked.

You have got to be kidding? That movie was the biggest steaming pile since Deep Impact!

19 posted on 12/12/2008 7:10:27 PM PST by Bommer ( Republican Party - RIP!)
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To: humblegunner

We all have our personal favorites that everyone else looks at and goes, “Huh?”

Personally I’m more Iron Man and Dark Knight. When they don’t rely solely on computers for your special effects, that is art.


20 posted on 12/12/2008 7:11:47 PM PST by netmilsmom (Psalm 109:8 - Let his days be few; and let another take his office)
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