THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008)

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"The Day the Earth Stood Still" has some good action and a somewhat interesting story but the rest is a bore."

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" is a remake of the 1951 classic but this version definitely doesn't deserve the classic title. Don't get me wrong the film is good but it could have been much better. I left the theater expecting more.

It begins with a man who is in the Indian mountains. It is snowing when the man stumbles upon a big glowing sphere. We then jump to the present. A woman is picked up at her house by the police. They won't tell her where she is going or why she must go with them. We soon find out why. An object is flying towards Earth and they fear that it will destroy most of Manhattan. The object, which turns out to be the same sphere from the mountains, lands. A man emerges from the sphere and he is taken in to custody. The man, who is the same man from the mountains, is asked many questions by the authorities. He asks to be released but they will not listen so he must take matters into his own hands. He breaks out but he is in need of help so he calls the woman.

This is where the plot starts to slow down and become a little bit of a snoozer. They go on the run with the help of the woman, her son and some of her friends. He warns her that the human race might come to an end. She must convince him to stop what he is doing and stop the being that may help destroy the human race. The plot picks up again and the fun starts. It is a race against time that will lead to a satisfying ending.

The story is, like I said, interesting. It is a remake so it isn't very original but they make a few changes to the main plot. The beginning and the end are entertaining but the middle is kind of boring. They don't really explain everything so you really don't know what's going on thus there are a few flaws in the script but nothing major.

The acting is good but the actors who do the best job are underused. Keanu Reeves does a fine job playing the man from the sphere. I don't really see the complaint about his acting job in this because the character he plays is supposed to show no emotion and care for no one so I think he did a great job in this. Jennifer Connelly plays the woman and does okay. Some of her scenes are unbelievable and don't seem like something her character would do. Now to the actors who are completely underused. Robert Knepper, Brandon T. Jackson and Kyle Chandler who all play military men are good actors but they don't even get enough time to show off there acting chops. I was really disappointed about that.

Director Scott Derrickson does great at making the film have a cool look to it but I didn't like the pacing. He should have stayed true to the original and I think they would have produced a better film.

The visuals are off and on. I thought the sphere looked very cool and realistic but I thought the monster who might destroy the Earth looked kind of fake. The look to the film is good thanks to the director.

So in conclusion "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is a good film that may disappoint some but will probably entertain the rest.