Originally posted on Facebook - December 15, 2008
So, I went to this movie expecting to be discontented with it. This expectation was based on the reviews I had heard. With such low expectations going in, I found I was pleasantly surprised. That said, I'm sure that if I had gone in hoping for greatness I would have been soundly disappointed.
The 1951 movie of the same name is a classic, and rightly so. It was a cheesy sci-fi flick that nobody believed would be a success, but it tapped into the zeitgeist with imagery and thematic content that still resonates today. An indestructible robot that exists only to keep the peace; a fatherless child who teaches an intergalactic messenger about humanity; a physicist who speaks of the potential of culture and science; a man from beyond who is killed out of fear and ignorance and who, resurrected, delivers a way forward for all humankind. The original film emerged from the context of the nuclear cold war, which at the time was in its earliest stages. The message brought from beyond was: Destroy yourselves if you wish, but we will not tolerate you bringing your violence to the galaxy.
(Beware spoilers beyond this point.)
The remake, featuring Keanu Reeves in the role he was born to play (an alien who moves stiffly and speaks woodenly), translates the "intergalactic messenger" motif into our context, replacing the nuclear threat with the environmental one. But in the remake, Klaatu is not a messenger but a judge - and it is here that it fails to capture the ominous tone of the original. Instead of delivering an ultimatum, Klaatu's job is to decide for or against the survival of the human race. And instead of protecting the peace, GORT (the aforementioned robot) has the job of annihilating all humanity - thus allowing the biosphere of Earth a chance to start over without our destructive influence.
The result of these thematic shifts is a condescending preachiness. The message is good - share the globe, protect the biosphere, conserve the planet, be peaceful and constructive - but the tone has an "or else" implied that leaves a sour taste. Let's not forget that in 1951 we were left with three options: destroy ourselves, live peacefully, or be destroyed. In 2008 that has been reduced to two: do what's right or cease to exist. And that is substantially less satisfying as a message.
On the positive side, the acting is good. Reeves basically does what he always does, but with this character it actually works well. Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, Jon Hamm, Jaden Smith, and Kyle Chandler all hold up their ends. The reactionary violence of the government and military is generally well-played, and the troubled relationship between the young boy (Smith) and his step-mother (Connelly) is a nice sub-plot that provides Klaatu with a window into human psychology. The climactic destruction wreaked by GORT is also new and impressive, as he transforms himself into nano-disassemblers that begin destroying the works of humankind.
Finally, I found the ending disappointing. The human population in general is left without any closure - they have faced a crisis and had it averted, but they have not been provided with an interpretation of it. This unresolved ambiguity - fashionable these days - was unsatisfying in the way it was done in this film. Much more effective would have been a brief message from Klaatu, providing a way forward and a reminder that the intergalactic civilizations will be watching. Thus, the unresolved ambiguity becomes whether people will reform their ways or not. As it is, the possibility remains that humanity will not even understand what has happened to them and therefore have no vision for change.
Overall, the remake didn't add much to the original except some improved effects. If you want to have a good time at the movies, you could do worse than DTESS '08. If you want to see a great, important, influential movie, you should probably stick with DTESS '51.
6/10
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