Thursday, July 03, 2008

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Remake



It's not The Day the Earth Stood still unless you have that theremin in the soundtrack !


Robert Wise's 1951 0riginal

Based on the 1940 short story Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates.

14 comments:

Fraser Lovatt said...

I must be getting old, but really - what was the point in this remake? It'll probably completely ignore or misuse the source materials until it's only a title -- like they did with "I, Robot", "I am Legend" and "The Time Machine".

From the last few frames I see Gort is pretty much the same as in the original.

I look forward to thoroughly ignoring this when it is finally defecated into the cinemas.

Moonwatcher said...

Dear oh dear, this looks like so many other Hollywood films these days. And Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, what were they thinking ?

Michael Grant Clark said...

I see the footage has been pulled quick enough.

I only found out about the remake a few days ago but already there's international outrage, it's very lame. Does Keanu play Gort?

Keanu barata nicto

Fraser Lovatt said...

"I see the footage has been pulled quick enough."

For a second this made me think: What if the internet could respond to cultural lameness and just delete it?

20th Century Fox Drone: "Sir -- I uploaded the trailer for Meet the Spartans 2 to the viral sites as you requested, but ... it's gone!"

Imperious c20th Leader"Sweet lords of Greg Kinnear ... it's as if the internet is repairing itself against our foul pollution! How will we foist that Transporter 5: Transport Harder trailer against an unwilling public now?!?"

Andrew Glazebrook said...

It took me about 2 seconds to find one of the other 20 copies of the trailer that other people have posted !!

allen etter said...

I heard about this several months ago but I thought, "There's no way."

But it's true. (heavy sigh)

It's almost as if Hollywood is trying its best to make crappy movies.

allen etter said...

"If the Earth dies, you die...if you die, the Earth survives." It's been about fifteen years since I have seen the original, but was that line in the original or is it that it just sounds silly coming out of Keanu? Also, when will Jennifer Connely be in a movie I actually want to see?!?!

I. N. J. Culbard said...

Making a story that is otherwise dead to so many millions of people suddenly accessible can only be a good thing. The silver lining with this otherwise dark cloud, or the glass half full view being that it hopefully leads people back to the original work, as Kaufman's Body Snatchers and Carpenter's the Thing lead me to their originals.

Brian Sibley said...

Remakes are (or are seen as being) 'easy box office': a title we know or even just vaguely remember has a head start over one called something like Aubergines Vs the Earth or The Assassination of Courgette by the coward Chilli Pepper.

The thing about Keanu is, well... Forgive my name-dropping here, but Robert Wise once told me that he considered the success of TDTESS was that they hadn't cast Spencer Tracy (the studio's first choice) as Klaatu or Claude Raines (Wise's choice) but the virtually unknown English stage actor, Michael Rennie. Audeinces believed Klaatu/Mr Carpenter had come from Out There...

KR looks as if he's just come from the star dressing-room.

Fraser Lovatt said...

Brian makes an excellent point -- Keanu is usually the protagonist in a film because the audience identifies with him - he's a sort of everyman people can project themselves into. This is why he sort of works in films like The Matrix or Speed.

He has no otherworldy quality, though, so will be a dismal failure as Klaatu, as he is too identifiable, almost anti-alien. Michael Rennie was a successful choice because he was unearthly enough to be convincing.

By the way, see you for the next "disastrous Keanu casting in an unnecessary remake" debate -- I'm sorry to report that he's down to be in the live-action remake of AKIRA.

I. N. J. Culbard said...

Which then depends largely on how the story is approached.

Michael Grant Clark said...

I didn't know Jennifer Connely was in it, I may have to see it now. Bugger.

Mr Sibley has a good point, Keanu is good for some roles but has too much baggage for this one. Julian Bleach would have been good.

Interrogator: Do you know of an impending attack?

Klatu: We are the masters of earth! Exterminate! Unlimited rice pudding.

Fraser Lovatt said...

Oh yes -- I saw him in Shockheaded Peter. You're right -- it would be a much more interesting film if he just strolled out of the spaceship, top hat and cane et al.

Rol said...

One word - Keanu.

That was all I needed to hear.

No thank you.