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List Price: $34.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 21528
Released: April 7, 2009 |
| Our Price: $17.00 |
| Used Price: $4.91 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Disc 1: Widescreen Feature
**Commentary by Writer David Scarpa
**Deleted Scene:
*Equipment is issued to the scientists
*Helen and Granier discuss the shot
*Extended version of Klaatu being wheeled down hallway
**Vignette/Documentary/Featurette:
*Re-Imagining "The Day"
*Unleashing Gort
*Watching the Skies: In Search of Extraterrestrial Life
*The Day the Earth was "Green"
**Gallery:
*Concept Art
*Storyboards
*Production Photos
Trailer: Theatrical Trailer
Disc 2: Digital Copy
Disc 3: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) (Full Screen) PS DVD
**English: Mono, 5.1 Dolby Surround
**Spanish & French: Mono
Description of The Day the Earth Stood Still (Three-Disc Special Edition):
Impressive special effects are the key selling point for this big-budget remake of Robert Wise's classic 1951 science fiction parable about an alien visitor who delivers a chilling ultimatum to the leaders of the world. Keanu Reeves, who seemed ideal at first blush but ultimately turns into another case of miscasting, steps in for Michael Rennie as intergalactic watchdog Klaatu, who with his robot Gort (now super-sized), promises global destruction unless the powers that be unless drastic measures are undertaken regarding the Earth's environmental issues (or so one assumes). Jennifer Connelly is largely wasted in the Patricia Neal role of scientist/single mom assigned to study Klaatu, who offers a somewhat chilly father figure to her son (a grating Jaden Smith). Connelly isn't the only fine actor in the cast left standing idle while director Scott Derrickson's effects team constructs eye-popping scenes of wholesale mayhem; Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, John Cleese and Rob Knepper are all adrift in the aimless script by David Scarpa, which never even fully explains why Klaatu is so bent on blowing us to smithereens. That lack of focus, as well as the B-movie quality of the dialogue (say what you will about the effects in the Wise version, but the film was polished from top to bottom), all help to cement what science fiction fans have been muttering about the film since its inception; the original film needed no high-tech updating --Paul Gaita
Stills from The Day the Earth Stood Still (Click for larger image)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (Three-Disc Special Edition) Reviews:
Call me crazy but I much prefer the original!!! 
2009-12-12 - I had a funny feeling that this was the type of review I would be writing about the much-anticipated remake of "The Day The Earth Stood Still". You must understand that the original 1951 version is my favorite Sci-Fi flick of all-time. Well, my instincts proved to be correct. I found Keanu Reeves portrayal of the alien Klaatu to be rather colorless and bland...positively no match for Michael Rennie's fine performance in the earlier film. In addition, I thought that the storyline wandered from the original far too many times. Once again, the film relies way too much on special effects.
Can I see a new movie without at least a dozen explosions and a car chase? There is precious little in the way of charactor development here. One bright spot was the outstanding performance of Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson. Kudos also to John Cleese who played the relatively small role of Professor Barnhardt to perfection . At the end of the day the original version of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" made its point much more dramatically. Remakes rarely improve on the original and I am afraid that is the case here. I for one would always opt for the 1951 verson.
kinda pointless 
2009-12-08 - Oh noes! they has taken away all the powerz!! Thats cool, we has solar energies and we can build more powerz stations! Thnx aileeans for savin duh planet! seriously? I think that we can get past a huge old worldwide EM bomb pretty fast and continue on our path to "DESTRUCTION" without even breaking a sweat. Cool story, maybe believable...very many years ago... just never gonna happen. I have no understanding why they would even rez this? I really hope Keanu (spelling?) saved his bucks cuz his glory days are sooooo way over. I give tis a one star because the a holes at hollywood made this without regard to how fn stupid it is considering the times. I hope a bunch of you greedy bastardos got fired and you are now wishing that you could make a B movie.
What a War!
2009-12-04 - The only disaster here is this film!
It did have ok special effects and a cast that deserved better; but the screenplay was simply bad. There was no development of story or character. Few remakes have failed as badly as this one; forget this movie and buy the original. That is a good movie!
I only give it one star because there is no lower rating!
Check your Blu-ray Region Code 
2009-12-03 - If you are buying this set internationally for a blu-ray player check your region code. A Blu-ray player with Multi-Zoning for DVDs does not work on Blu-Ray. Blu-ray uses different Region Codes (A,B and C) and there is no multi-zoning for them as yet. I got caught with this Disc Set assuming it would play because all my other DVDs do. BUT IT DOESN'T... and I'm really annoyed at having wasted $50NZ for something I can't use. Amazon also needs to state more clearly what region Blu-ray discs are coded for so newbies like me don't get caught. Apart from that I enjoyed the movie in the cinema but can't review the disc set because of the reasons stated.
It's not THAT bad
2009-12-01 - The original movie version of The Day the Earth Stood Still is one of my father's all time favorite movies. A science fiction classic that permanently embedded the catch phrase "klaatu barada nikto" into the geek lexicon, the first film was a parable about the Cold War. Both the producer and director were criticized for the liberal themes of the film, which promoted world peace and a draw down of military hostilities. The "standing still" of the world was a reference to all electrical systems on Earth freezing for a half hour, with the exception of critical systems. In short, the movie's message was thought provoking, intended to begin a discussion about American policies.
The remake is no different (spoiler alerts abound). This new version features a hostile military led by Regina Jackson (the stalwart Kathy Bates), the monotone human-like alien (Keanu Reeves as Klaatu), an aggrieved scientist widow (the beautiful Jennifer Connelly) and her angry son (played by Jaden Smith). This new version pokes viewers with a stick: the Benson patriarch died in Iraq; the president's response to an alien invasion is openly hostile; and the Message is no longer about the Cold War but Global Warming. In other words: the movie's message is thought provoking, intended to begin a discussion about American policies.
But is it a good movie? Overall, the film bulks up special effects, smoothes over some of the rough edges from the original, and does its best to translate the original to modern sensibilities. GORT now stands for Genetically Organized Robot Technology, is a giant nanotechnology war machine, and the descending globes of light are arks to save the Earth. The computer graphics are outstanding.
The acting, not so much. Reeves sleepwalks through his role, which, while not inappropriate, doesn't stretch his acting chops either. Klaatu is suitably creepy as a blank-faced drone, but difficult to sympathize with as he becomes more human. Connelly has little to do besides plead at the camera with her eyes. Smith comes off as recalcitrant and unlikable, a weakness in the child actor who represents the sum of humanity's relationship. The sole stand out is John Cleese as Professor Karl Barnhardt, projecting a level of warmth and kindness that's we rarely see on screen. If I had to pick a person to argue for humanity's survival, Cleese would be an excellent choice.
The ending feels sloppy. GORT transforms from a giant robot (scary!) to a hissing swarm of metal locusts (biblical, but not as scary). The biblical parallels continue with Klaatu's birth and sacrifice, but the film seems conflicted as to how to wrap things up. The movie concludes with the Earth standing still, permanently - hospital machines and airplanes be damned.
Whether or not you agree with the movie's tenets is moot. If you're nodding your head or rolling your eyes then this version, like the original before it, did its job. But in comparison, the original has better acting and a tighter plot.
