Thursday 25 December 2008

Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)



Hmm...I never expected it to be action packed alien shooting drama. I brief research in IMDB will tell you it's more about a commentary of human being. So I actually thought it will be philosophical and there will be lot of debates rather than laser beam.

A lot of audience will be fooled to buy its ticket thinking this is just another alien invasion CGI extravaganza. But it is not. You can see what the director attempted to do, to tell us we are rotten and how ignorant and egomaniac we are thinking we own this planter all for ourselves, and how our destructive nature will let us to doom.

Sad things is, this idea in Klaatu the aliens mind does not meet with a lot of criticism or argument from the characters in the film. There is only one counter point for Klaatu's intention which it magically 'get-it' at the climax of the film (not a spoiler, it's a rather predictable plot). The content in the aspect is so minimal that makes this film like an elementary ABC book when compare to The Matrix Trilogy. The audience do not think in this film, somehow most will agree with Klaatu to kill us all.

One good thing about this film is, the apparently violence hating alien is kind of bad ass then under attack or terminating the life on earth. Unlike the over stereotyped peace loving characters in Star Trek or Star Wars or whatever star, the peaceful alien here have no problem killing anyone, and watching them conducting mass destruction towards US government officials is just so fucking satisfying.

As usual, the US government is portray as violence dumb ass, and we will have a lady 'believer' since the alien takes a male form; we must have a balance role for both gender, and all races since they shoved in one African American as a 'major' character in the form of the heroine's step son.
The best department in this film is the casting. Casting Keanu Reeves as an expressionless alien is just so perfect. But his costumer reminds us of Constantine and Johnny I don't know what film. Why the plain suit? Maybe the studio think a dude with roundneck T and jeans will not pass as an expressionless alien...


In short, if you expect GCI wars with alien, got get Star Treks or Star Wars. This is just like a poor man's version of Stanley Kubrick's 2001!


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