The Day the Earth Stood Still

Rating:
Summary: It's not what you see.
Review: To me, this is the best science fiction movie ever made, not for what you actually see,but what you imagine. Sure, Gort is scary, but compared to later films,it is what you imagine 'he'will do if his 'demands' are not met. Since I also think that Michael Rennie is one of the most underated actors ever to grace the screen, watching his performance is pure joy. A very young Patricia Neal is also excellent,as is Hugh Marlowe(Three faces of Eve) as her so called fiance. Couldn't you just smack his face when he rats 'Carpenter' out? Or better yet let Gort vaporize him! The sequences around the world when time stands still are great too. (Trivia fans-isnt Billy Gray of 'father knows best' playing Neal's very curious son,and Frances Bavier'Aunt Bea' the landlady??) Then of course there's Sam Jaffe as the Einstein like character that befriend's Carpenter and tries to act as liason. "Klaatu barada nikto"... I mean who really cared what it meant? We got the message loud and clear, hopefully learned something in the process. ET would be proud!

Rating:
Summary: The Earth Stands Still with the Audience
Review: Certain Directors can take cliches, spruce them up or even overcome them. Robert Wise is such a director. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is an example of Wise's art. Wise gives us a civilized alien, well played by Michael Rennie, somewhat the proper Englishman, but in this movie seems just perfectly cast as an ambassador of peace who warns the earth's leaders what will happen if they don't stop the esculation of war making power. It is a nice touch watching Rennie, head covered, emerge from his "flying saucer" with what earthlings think is a weapon, so they shoot it out of his hand and it turns out that it is a weapon of peace that could prevent starvation. Patricia Neal is well cast and these type of movies rarely gets this kind of casting. She believes in the alien and learns to trust him. Another fascinating character is Gort, the Robot, who vaporizes army tanks and reponds to his master's commands. Add to the excellent story and suspense is the great music score of Bernard Herrman, composing an exotic score that lifts this potentially average flying saucer flick to greatness. A classic of the genre. Listen closely to the alien's language; hundreds of people have used the command to Gort in conversation and in other movies, even humorously in "Army of Darkness." Many would call this too much of a "message" sci-fi movie, but it has too much going for it to be just an ordinary message movie. It is one of a handful of sci-fi flicks that hold up today, without resorting to an overkill of computer generated special effects-the effects are good enough here to tell the story of a civilized, lone ambassador stopping the world, and making it think again about using atomic weapons,and just as mysteriously as the saucer lands, the alien quietly walks back into his ship, takes off, and leaves the earth to ponder whether to go to war again or, as the deadly serious alien says,"be blown to cinders." A great sci-fi movie that can be viewed by the whole family.

Rating:
Summary: The Benchmark for Sci-Fi Entertainment
Review: "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is my all-time favorite sci-fi experience. This is a movie where fine performances are extracted from ALL cast members with emphasis on Michael Rennie. He is alternately subtle, bemused, and does not suffer fools well. The violence is minimized and is only used to underscore the power of Gort. If you're looking for an abundance of gadgets and gizmos, this is not the movie for you. It is simply the story of an alien emissary telling us to get our act together. The symbolism of the spacecraft landing in Washington makes a statement and the hero worship bestowed on Klaatu by a young Billy Gray is touching. The glue that holds it together is Patricia Neal as we watch her intrigue towards a handsome stranger segue to a deep felt respect for his earthly mission. Gort the Robot is truly terrifying although he does not have ample screen time. The eerie musical score by Bernard Herrman enhances the production as it was one of the first sci-fi films to use the theramin for the intense tonalities. The film holds up well after almost fifty years and it is truly the best of the thinking man's science fiction films.

Rating:
Summary: the day the earth stood still
Review: this was the first sci-fi movie i ever saw. being an avid sci-fi fan i believe this movie's message has as much and maybe more relevance today than when it was first released. if your looking for a great family movie with a true to life message this is it. the simple but realistic special effects and plot makes the message even more conceivable. this would be a great movie for a sequel as long as it stayed on the same lines without complicating it with too many cliche special effects. if it were to have been released tody instead of almost 50-yrs ago, i believe it would be rated as good as any of todays sci-fi releases.

Rating:
Summary: The foundation for all SciFi that follows....
Review: This was the first science fiction movie I ever saw and it forever captured my fascination with the genre. It may be too subtle for children but it delivers a message that earth has not as yet taken to heed. Keep trying Klaatu!

Rating:
Summary: Who's Afraid of the...
Review: When a Flying Saucer lands on the front lawn of the Whitehouse, it is quickly surrounded by members of the US military but their vigilence is not enough to prevent its pilot, a dignified humanoid escaping out into the big city where he makes all the traditional mistakes - a flwless diamond gives him a fistful of dollars from a fence. He finds a place to live and quickly finds a group that is willing to consider listening to his message of peace and they return with him to his ship. Unfortunately this is still surrounded by the military and they are not so eager to let him get back on board. After he is shot, the humans are introduced to his guardian, a robot whose laser powered eyes reduce the pride of American armour to molten metal. All electrical activity is cut off for a short period of time while the Visitor gets to deliver his message of peace - one backed by a big stick!

Rating:
Summary: what the world needs now
Review: from the director of"west side story"and the original"haunting"comes yet another masterpiece."the day the earth stood still",in my estimate,stands as one of the most compelling sci-fi movies i have ever seen.it takes an uncompromising stand against the violent nature of this planet,and brings a solemn warning from space"learn to live in peace,or be obliterated"warns an emmissary from what might be the "federation of planets"and a robot policeman of awesome proportions,possessed with the irreversable power to destroy all who donnot comply.i loved every minute of this movie.surprisingly,for the time period it was made,the script is very competent and credible.this movie may well have been a wakeup call as to what or who really is out there.good acting[michael rennie at his best]good directing,and the effects,though few,[dosn't take a lot of special effects when you've got a good story to tell]makes this movie,one well worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: ET Done right
Review: I once wrote a college essay in film school comparing The Day the Earth Stood Still vs. E.T. The two films share the same basic concept, however, in E.T.'s case, the entire motivation behind E.T. being on earth to begin with is missing, whereas in TDTESS it acts as the main tension in the film. In E.T., the alien becomes little more than a misunderstood pet, not particularly intelligent or compelling, merely comforting. Klaatu is a living breathing entity with thoughts to express, a much more compelling character as far as "first contact" with aliens go. E.T. plucks at the heartstrings in shamelessly obvious ways. TDTESS is far more restrained and somber, not sappy. Lastly, this film predates E.T. by decades, so it wins in the originality department. One of my favorite films.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Sci-Fi films ever made.
Review: A Classic science fiction film to be added to a list of the best films ever made. In a time that fancy special effects in movies were a few years in the future, this film does pretty good! The saucer space ship, Gort; the galactic Space-Cop Robot and the steel melting rays that emit from Gort's head are great! The actors, the plot and the haunting music are excellent and after reading the original story by the author, I can say that Director Robert Wise made a much more enjoyable film for all of us,and improved on the story 100%.

Rating:
Summary: A better than average sci-fi flick with a powerful message.
Review: A bit dated now, but still as enjoyable today as it was at its theatrical release. This is perhaps the best acting performance of the late Michael Rennie. While watching this film, I got the idea that the makers of this film actually wanted to make Klaatu appear to be the second coming of the Messiah. If you examine this movie with great scrutiny, it's quite possible to make comparisons of Klaatu with Christ just as the viewer from Keller, Texas said.