Rating: 
Summary: Peace, not war
Review: Robert Wise's, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is a warning of what will become of the planet earth if wars do not end for good. This story takes place after World War II. A space shuttle lands in the middle of Washington D.C. and out of it appears a space man and a robot. Right away the man, named Klattu, is shot for no apparent reason, showing us how violent our world is today. This man represents a Christ-like figure, warning the inhabitants of earth to stop fighting, or the planet will come to an end. Klattu is also "resurrected" from the dead to teach earthlings about the peace of other plantes. When Klattu first lands he tries to gather all politicians from all countries together to discuss the peace problems, but they are also too judgemental about other nations to meet. Then Klattu goes to Professor Barnhardt, the smartest man in Washington D.C., who gathers all scientists from around the world. This shows us how our world focuses too much on pride. Tom Stevens, the boyfriend of the woman who Klattu is staying with, finds out that he is the spaceman and wants to tell the president, newspapers, and news stations about his findings. His girlfriend, Helen, tries to stop him because she knows that if Klattu is destroyed that our planet will be also. Tom is so overfilled with fame and greed that he decides not to listen to anything that Helen has to say and tells her that she will be married to a famous man, to which she replies that she will never marry him. This shows us tha tgreed, money and fame will get us owhere. This movie was a top rate science fiction film.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply the best Science fiction movie ever!
Review: This film is probably the best sci fi movie ever made,because it DOESN'T have a lot of special effects and allows us to imagine what GORT might do if crossed,and of course, "Gort,Klaatu barada nikktu" will always be a mystery. It is amazing that the film is only about an hour and half running time..... Michael Rennie,one of the most underated actors ever is a perfect choice for the stoic Carpenter.(and think about the name.... And dont you just want to slug Hugh Marlowe when he rats Carpenter out!!!! Simple is better!!!
Rating:
Summary: the best sci-fi movie ever made
Review: Despite its black and white foremat and its "50's" undercurrent, it is the best sci-fi movie ever made, bar none.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, landmark film that is truely a classic.
Review: Loosely based on the Harry Bates short story "Farewell to the Master", "Day.." is an intelligent movie that avoids the hoary sf cliches of the period, though this can be difficult to appreciate since the film has been copied so many times over the years.Michael Rennie displays real charisma as Klaatu, the enigmatic messenger from space. His subdued performance succeeds in displaying the wisdom, intelligence and maturity of Klaatu as he almost desperately tries to deliver his warning to the people of Earth. An equally great performance is turned in by Patricia Neal. Her fright at the sight of Gort and her effort to compose herself as she tries to stop the robot from destroying her (and, presumably, the rest of Washington D.C.) with the words "Klaatu barada nikto" remains a classic genre sequence. Bernard Hermann's theremin score was considered to be highly original at the time and it works well for the film, but it has been copied so many times that it has become something of a cliche. The robot Gort is sleek and imposing despite being a bit weak at the knees and Klaatu's saucer is an equally impressive design, though the interior seems to be too spartan. Unintentional humor is seen when the two doctors who are tending to an injured Klaatu are expressing amazement at his healthy, youthful condition at 75 years of age while they both light up cigarettes. Such was the state of medical science in the early 1950's. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" kicked off a flowering of sf films in the 50's and yet for intelligence and charm it was hardly ever equalled.
Rating:
Summary: "Classic" is almost an understatement!
Review: I'll back away from a simple review of this film. Suffice to say that it's one of the best sci-fi pics from any era. On the chance that some really "big" 'Day the Earth Stood Still' fans will see these words, I'd like to share a brief personal connection to this movie. Actor Sam Jaffe's "Dr. Barnhardt" resided in a home in Washington where Klaatu (Michael Rennie) rented a room. The exterior shots of the Barnhardt home in the film were of the house that my father grew up in, from 1909 until he moved out in 1934. This house is located at 1608 16th Street, N.W., in D.C. My grandparents continued to live there until grandad died, in 1941 - the year I was born. I still have an original painting of that house, done in 1917, hanging on my living room wall. Having always loved the film, even before knowing that there was a direct family connection, I feel all the more compelled by it, and the message that it sends. Aloha from Maui...
Rating:
Summary: Great film.
Review: I think the message still lasts today
Rating:
Summary: SCIFI at it's best! Great story, acting, and music!
Review: Visual effects have improved in the last forty years, but as with any film... The story is the most important! People say the cold war is ended, the paranoia is gone. Not true! We would treat the alien the same way today as they did in the 50s in this film! We would shoot him and dissect him instead of listening to him! The world needs a powerful civilisation to say GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER (as in this film), or we will stay the same for another two thousand years! This is one of the few films with the alien as the hero and the humans as the enemy... and Bernard Herrman's music!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best SF Films of all time
Review: Harry Bates wrote a great short story called "Farwell to the Master" that was later the basis for this movie. The short story was a little better in its surprises. But they were able to keep the essisence of the orginal story alive in the movie, even with the major changes. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: It's one of the early greats and still holds up after all these years. A simple story but hits the nail on the head concerning mankinds paranoia.
Rating: 
Summary: Did I miss something here?
Review: I'm sorry, but I fail to see why this film to seen as one of the best sci-fi ever made and continues to have such a following. The main problem is that it lacks the timelessness of such other sci-fi classics like 2001, Blade Runner, Star Wars or even Forbidden Planet, which makes it hard for generations who did not have the ordeal of living in the Cold War to enjoy. OK, back in the '50's everyone was scared that the world was on the verge of a nuclear winter and that this film provided a ray of hope that it wouldn't happen. I also except that some people like the idea that not all life forms out there are scary slimy monsters who are trying to achieve the destruction of the human race. I also except that the film is intelligent, well acted and well directed, but I fail to see why this makes it a classic. This is a film rooted firmly in the fifties along with Cold War fear. Also you would expect a hulking lad like Gort not to need (very visible) wires too sweep Patricia Neal off her feet nor to have a solid metal suit that creased at the knees and elbows. Two stars for the originality and intelligence and the good idea of the Earth standing still. But the rest is just boring and pretentious thanks to an uneventful script that makes mountains out of mole hills for the most part (i.e. the constant annotations to Klaatu representing a savior), and is overly sentimental and borders on corny. The terms of what we own this film, is immeasurable, however. It's success opened up the genre again, (where would we be without Star Wars?), and gave us truly decent Alien Invasion movies like Independence Day and the alien befriends child concept was used to infinitely better effect in ET, but apart from that it has little else going for it.
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