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Summary: The second greatest of all sci-fi movies.
Review: The effects are great, the music is great, the message is great - this movie, like "2001", is genuinely incredible.
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Summary: Eerily Poignant!
Review: This is one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. It has managed to stand the test of time exceptionally well, being over 50 years old. In our current atmosphere of the US's polital-economic hegemony, this film is eerily poignant, especially in its implications that nationalistic pride and sovereignty must be compromised to an extent for the greater good (UN); otherwise, there will be dire consequences for all. Aside from that, it's about time the DVD came out and the documentary is pretty good, but the studios have a bad habit of messing up the original cover art on the DVD versions. Why couldn't they use the more colorful art from the original poster?
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Summary: There is no widescreen version of this film!
Review: Contrary to some of the other reviews of this film here, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was never released in a widescreen format, especially since Cinemascope (introduced, by the way, by 20th Century-Fox, the producer of this film) didn't arrive in theaters until 1953. So the version on this DVD is the correct aspect ratio.This is a great DVD, far better looking than my VHS copy (I don't own the laserdisc), and it's worth the price I paid.
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Summary: Ripped Off...
Review: After eagerly awaiting a DVD copy of one of my most favorite sci-fi movies, I feel ripped off... this retoration (if you could call it that) has been done in pan and scan
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Summary: Fabulous . . . almost!
Review: THE must have classic sci-fi movie. Great story with real characters. The only problem with the DVD version is that it is not available in widescreen format . . . a real shame for such a classic picture
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Summary: ONE OF THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES EVER!!!
Review: This is without a doubt one of the best science fiction movies ever made (along with "2001", the original "INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS", the Hammer classic "QUATERMASS AND THE PIT" and "COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT") and more than deserving of a first-class treatment on DVD. And 20th Century Fox has done that and then some! This is one terrific disc that all lovers of film should own (not just SF nuts). The picture and sound are both superb. The extras are bountiful, including 5 still galleries, 3 trailers (for "TDTESS", "JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH" and the Raquel Welch/ Hammer film "ONE MILLION YEARS B.C."), a 70-minute documentary on the making of the film that is very interesting and informative, including interviews with director Robert Wise and stars Patricia Neal and Billy Gray, plus, the best bonus of all, the entire shooting script of the film. FANTASTIC! This thoughtful and intelligent film is even more relevant today than when it was made. Its message of peaceful co-existence is heart-warming. Too bad the human race can't learn to live in peace. Many have stated that if Klaatu knew how little progress we have made since his journey to earth, he'd be disappointed. Maybe. But at least we are still confining our wars to just our world and not threatening the other planets, our space program being in a directionless shambles. We are no threat to the universe, just ourselves. So Klaatu can rest easy and Gort can cool his jets. We're much too primitive a people to threaten the safety of the universe. At least, for now. Klaatu barada nikto. -George Bauch.
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Summary: Read the story--movie is a[n] [imitation] with "Hollywood" ending
Review: This movie MIGHT have been a "classic" except for one thing. Read the story and then NOTE THE ENDING. I won't tell you to protect the ones who care enough to read it. However the producers thought the audience wouldn't "like" the book's true ending, so they changed it. Not bad enough, but the real problem is THE CHANGE COMPLETELY ALTERED THE ENTIRE STORY, AND DESTROYED THE WRITER'S MEANING. IT IS ONE OF THE WORST DISTORTIONS IN SCI-FI HISTORY. Watch if you will, (well done for the times) but know that it is in the class of the old Westerns--a thriller, but that is all.
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Summary: You know you're gonna buy this!!
Review: The DVD version of the best of the sci-fi flicks of the 50's is finally out on DVD,and it is wonderful!Jam-packed with tons of extra stuff.Sci-fi is not necessarily my favorite genre,but this movie grabs me every time.Excellent,script;interesting relationships;Gort is cool;and Bernard Hermann is the King of music scores.Really.He is.The intro alone makes the DVD worth buying.Get this movie on DVD.Pop some corn,turn out the lights,and be carried back to your childhood,like I was.Lots of fun.
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Summary: STILL A CLASSIC....
Review: Superlative sci-fi film that still holds its' own as a classic for any era. Robert Wise directs this in a somber, realistic style that is perfect in keeping it from becoming silly or kitschy as so many 50's sci-fi flicks are. First-rate acting is another plus...as is Bernard Herrmann's classic music score that keeps things tense, edgy and otherworldly. It all works. A spaceship lands in Washington mall on a nice ordinary spring day and everything changes. Human emotions go every direction when an emissary from another planet emerges from the ship with a simple message for the world. But nothing is simple---not even peace. A few other things separate this film from the rest. The script is tight and focused with natural sounding dialogue. The alien, Klaatu (wonderful Michael Rennie), is not a bad guy or a mutant. He's a genuinely kind entity who looks like us. Patricia Neal is not your typical 50's sci-fi/horror heroine. She's a sensible (and sensitive) working single mother who proves wise and honorable even when her man doesn't. She only screams once and understandably---after delivering Klaatu's message to his robot Gort (a very brave thing) and Gort advances towards her and her nerves give way. Everything is done well in this film. The DVD looks great. Gorgeous b&w photography. Well worth it for the sci-fi collectors out there and I'm going another step further and call it what it is: a great American film. Period.
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Summary: One of the Best
Review: This has to be one of the best science fiction movies ever made. Its message is still timely. The movie is simple and straight forward. Great set design with the interior of the space ship. Location shooting adds to the realism of this fantasy. The DVD presents a beautiful print. Good documentary on the making of the movie. Nice interview with the director Robert Wise answers a lot of questions about how this movies was made.
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