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Movie:		6.0
Picture:		8.0
Sound:		8.0
Extras:		6.0
Score:		7.0

Director(s):	Scott Derrickson
Writer(s):	David Scarpa, Edmund H. North (1951 original)
Starring:	Jaden Smith • Jennifer Connelly • John Cleese • Jon Hamm • Kathy Bates • Keanu Reeves
Genre:	Action • Sci-Fi
Website:	http://www.thedaytheearthstoodstillmovie.com/
Release Date:	April 07, 2009
Rated:

List Price:	Blu-ray - $24.99
Amazon:

The Day the Earth Stood Still, of 2008, completely changed the formula from its predecessor - and why not? It had no chance of living up to the "classic film" status that had been set. So instead of creating a film that slowly builds with a feeling of dread, director Scott Derrickson opted for a flashier take with special effects and a big name(ish) cast. True, Keanu Reaves as the unfeeling alien Klaatu seems like an inspired choice (neither knows how to emote), but he plays a character that no longer fits in the story.

What once served as an excellent parable for anti-nuclear proliferation has changed to one of pro-green and non-violence. The hippies of the 60s and 70s finally got the big budget blockbuster they'd always hoped for. The formula of The Day the Earth Stood Still remains virtually the same (plotwise). Alien comes to earth telling us to change our ways, earth balks at the doomsday scenario and earth learns a valuable lesson about being an asshole. Apparently it's also important for the alien to learn something about love from humanity, so they throw that in there too. Fact: aliens don't need love. Why would you when you reproduce by spores?

Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) leads the way in her field of science and finds herself whisked away in the night to deal with an unspecified and undisclosed happening in the middle of Central Park. An alien has landed and humanity, being the curious hooligans they are, wants to make contact any way they can (peaceful or otherwise). Wading into the spacecraft created mists in the park wearing hazmat suits, Benson and other scientists discover Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) who they "capture" and take back to a super-secret military compound which, wouldn't you know it, is essentially equipped to withstand the holocaust. Before long, Klaatu's stating his mission, his demands and doing his best to emotionally counsel the earthlings through the news of their imminent destruction (like in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy only more serious and with the dolphins still present). Benson, instinctively realizing that there might still be hope for her doomed spheroid, Benson attempts to justify human life with science and emotion. Klaatu learns something - we all do.

This may come as a surprise but The Day the Earth Stood Still doesn't hold value because of its Oscar-worthy acting or writing. No sir. The director and new writer David Scarpa are well aware of what this new vehicle is all about: visual effects. To be fair, it does make sense that a film about aliens coming to earth with a portent of doom would be a visually stunning experience. The scenes with nanobots devouring any and everything in their path are not only beautiful to behold in the high-definition of Blu-ray it's just damned cool. The Day the Earth Stood still asks that you turn off your brain but leave your eyes open - just soak in the shiny pictures and smile. That's all it asks. Heck, you don't really even need to listen. Mute the sound and turn on the subtitles, Keanu's delivery isn't affected at all.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

The first two things of note included in this three-disc package are the other two discs. On one hand we have the increasingly-standard Digital Copy of The Day the Earth Stood Still on one disc and then, in a really cool move, the 1951 original on Blu-ray. Now, to be honest the quality of the 1951 original doesn't receive any boost in any way by being transferred to Blu-ray, the film stock is too old and any and all improvements possible were made when it was transferred to DVD. But still, it's a great classic film on the next-gen format - cool. For audio commentaries, in a weird twist, we have only one which only features the screenwriter (which is quite odd); what, Derrickson couldn't be bothered to comment on his own special effects bonanza? Beyond that we have a nice selection of production and retrospective featurettes. The most notable, "Unleashing Gort", "Re-imagining The Day" and "Watching the Skies: In Search of Extraterrestrial Life" deserve the 20 or so minutes they require. The rest are purely for the enthusiasts of the new one. Some will find the "Picture-in-Picture Bonusview: Klaatu's Unseen Artifacts" to be a better secondary featurette while others will annoyed at the intrusion upon the viewing experience.

Overall, thanks to the inclusion of the original, The Day the Earth Stood Still qualifies as a purchase most Blu-ray owners will want to consider. The movie shows off the stunning visual capabilities of Blu-ray even if it lacks the terrific build-up of the original.