The Day the Earth Stood Still

A great old-school sci-fi (in very nice visual packaging) unfortunately with a typical ending about the hope than human kind can change. I haven’t seen the original, but in my eyes Derrickson did an excellent job maintaining the idea and the feeling of the original (I’ll certainly have a look at that to confirm my thoughts), which has a timeless theme. Moreover, Keanu Reeves exceeded my expectations massively because in truth I couldn’t imagine him in a role like this. For me the best scene of the movie was the ingenious beginning which was very reminiscent of The Thing in terms of atmosphere. (22/01/2009)

A surprisingly respectful remake of the original that goes a little off the path promised by the trailers. With its surprisingly intimate atmosphere, it plays the family card, which in some moments unnecessarily pulls the otherwise very good spectacle into pathos. The film is carried by excellent actors, great special effects, and by the skilled craftsman Derrickson, who can evoke both moments of absolute tension and thrilling popcorn rides where a giant black cloud takes out trucks and football stadiums. I might have expected something a little different in terms of a Christmas blockbuster, but the result is certainly not a bad one. I give it a weaker four stars. (12/12/2008)

A big film, but with very little content. The story tries to look as spectacular as possible, but in reality it’s surprisingly mediocre and bland throughout, best evidenced by the emotionally utterly cold finale. So the only thing really worth mentioning is Keanu Reeves as the alien and a couple of visually impressive scenes that at least kept me awake for 100 minutes. Otherwise, just slightly above average sci-fi nonsense that has absolutely no chance in today's competition. (27/08/2012)

A worthy remake that does not put its predecessor to shame. The original was released in the 1950s, during the raging Cold War, and spoke with much more urgency, so the pleas that "We can change!" in the current version sound rather empty, but technically, it's clear that this spirited little sci-fi film has benefited from a modern coat of paint, especially in the character of the alien guardian Gort, who surpasses his predecessor in terms of impressiveness. The charismatic Keanu Reeves certainly didn't disappoint, but I'd love to shoot the whiny Smith to the Milky Way. (11/04/2009)

This is how it turns out when the current author takes on a remake of a film from 1951, which was also directed by Robert Wise, which is a slightly different league after all. Scott Derrickson has two excellent horror films to his credit, but this is a classic Hollywood wannabe B-movie, where there is too much emphasis on pathos and emotions that have been seen so many times that you simply ignore them rather than let them influence you. In the 50s, this was a popular theme, but not anymore in the new millennium. Moreover, Spielberg had "War of the Worlds" here, which at least had some sense of action. (27/03/2014)