Klaatu Barada Nikto

First came An Inconvenient Truth, then came Wall-E, next comes Klaatu. Slowly, the ought decade of cinema is becoming more and more ecocentric and ecofriendly. And, I can only hope that the remake of the wonderful 1951 film, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a continuation in this positive trend. Because I can see no other forgivable reason for creating such a remake as the two films, as of yet to me, do not look very much alike.

Some movies should never be remade- like To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) or in another way the original Star Wars (1977), to do so would degrade this countries cultural history. As the Library of Congress says with the United States National Film Registry some films are preserved because they are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Some things just shouldn't be fumbled with. And, even though there is a vast number of people who will never take the time or have the pleasure of viewing 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still that does not mean that anyone should go along and deliver a fresh new copy of it to the uninterested and unselfeducated masses.

Some things you just don't mess with. Now, I'll argue back and forth that John Carpenter's The Thing may in fact be superior to its 1951 original The Thing from Another World, and I'll hold out on the latter if only because of its classic suspense and how dated it may appear by today's standards. But, no matter how dated The Day the Earth Stood Still may be I still can't see much excuse for making a classic like it anew. ... Though, if anyone were to ever play Klaatu again I think Keanu Reeves is as alien enough as a human being can be and still be able to do it well.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951):


The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008):


I'll see this movie. And I'll even hope it's good, but I'll never consider it to be The Day the Earth Stood Still, of fully forgive its producers (no matter how good it is) for deciding to make it, even when I'm buying the Gort toy which I'm sure they'll make (and sure I'll buy) though I really wish they won't.

Maybe someday I'll review the original in the sappy as hell sentimental way we here seem to like to do.

CML