Keanu Reeves' most successful roles are when he's playing somebody with the emotional depth of a puddle; be it dimwit Ted "Theodore" Logan in the Bill & Ted films ("excellent!"), Speed's bus-stopping hero ("there's a bomb on this bus!"), or Neo in The Matrix trilogy ("whoa"). In this remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic, Keanu plays emotionless alien Klaatu (perfect!) – who arrives on Earth to urge mankind to save the planet. In a change from the "outdated" anti-nuke theme of the '50s original, the new threat is apparently ecological, not technological. Hey, 2008's shaping up to be the year of the Sci-Fi Ecological Disaster Film – coming after The Happening and WALL•E!
The Day The Earth Stood Still ('08) is directed by Scott Derrickson ('05s The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) and co-stars the excellent Jennifer Connelly, Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, John Cleese as a scientist, Will Smith's son Jaden, Battlestar Galactica's Aaron Douglas, and Mad Men hunk Jon Hamm.
And, despite misgivings about updating a revered B-movie with a relatively simple storyline, the trailer shows signs of being something creepy and effective. A recorded interview with Keanu's Klaatu isn't quite as spine-tingling as you'd hope for, but there's a sense of scope to the slick visuals and the sequences of destruction (a sports stadium and truck "eaten" by a mysterious, tornado-like "cloud") are intriguing. Add to that the eclectic cast of award-winners and TV up-and-comers, plus a last-second glimpse of iconic robot henchman Gort, and TDTESS definitely earns a position on my movie radar.
Released: 12 December 2008 (US & UK)
HD Download: 480P (32MB), 720P (75MB) & 1080P (122MB)
