Running To Stand Still

Even though it's probably been four years (and three children) since I've actually made it to a theater to see a movie, I still keep an eye on the latest releases. And even though 98% of all sci-fi movies made in the last ten years are complete and utter crap, I still find myself drawn in by the lure of an out-of-this-world story with smashing special effects. The ten-year old inner boy still holds out hope that an escapist movie will be able to thrill and entertain the man of today as they used to in the distant past.

So when I saw a couple of trailers to the latest version of "The Day The Earth Stood Still," I felt that faint glimmer of excitement at the possibility that--despite the presence of Keanu Reeves--this could one of those all too rare sci-fi pearls. Peter Sunderman's review at Culture11 thoroughly and completely dashed that hope:

The movie's environmentalism is as wretched as its script is dumb, essentially positing that humanity might deserve to be wiped out for failing, in some totally unexplained way, to take care of the planet. It's a dismal message in a dismal movie, and only Reeves's trance-like, deadpan turn as Klaatu provides any fun. Everyone else involved ought to be embarrassed at both the story and the message, which isn't just pro-environment, but anti-human--which may explain why only an evolved being like Reeves survives unscathed.