“My name is Klaatu Reeves and I have come to Earth to warn you of Hancock.” The first trailer for December’s big budget remake of 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still is now online after premiering in front of Will Smith’s ne’er-do-well superhero flick. Under an icy blue tint, the preview quickly evokes Close Encounters, The Abyss, Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, Contact and Langoliers before closing in on the modern green message, an aspect that Keanu Reeves has mentioned briefly in the press….
“The version I was just working on, instead of being man against man, it’s more about man against nature. My Klaatu says that if the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I’m a friend to the earth.”
The special effects by Weta Digital—the emphasis here is on a large alien orb and apocalyptic destruction—seem crisp and foreboding enough. Glimpses of a cast that includes Jennifer Connelly, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (his first major movie role) and Kathy Bates, give the impression that director Scott Derrickson (Exorcism of Emily Rose) may have crafted a classier Day After Tomorrow. If so, that would slightly exceed most fanboys’ early expectations for the film. Alas, do you see Gort? Check out the comments.
Watch the trailer in high resolution on filmweb.no.
Synopsis: Updating the 1951 sci-fi classic’s Cold War and religious themes, Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu, a mysterious man from another world who warns Earth’s humans that unless they change their gluttonous and harmful ways and pay more attention to the planet’s needs, aliens will swoop down and destroy them for good. :0
The Day the Earth Stood Still opens on December 12th.
Discuss: What do you think of the trailer to The Day the Earth Stood Still? Does it appear to be what you expected? Will Reeves make a Klaatu for the ages? Also, Gort fans, chime in.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
In the words of Mr. Reeves… ‘woah…’
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Yawn
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
looks pretty legit
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Wow, actually looks a lot better than I was expecting. Could just be the way the trailer was cut though- the final trailer for Fantastic Four 2 made that movie look great, which it wasnt. Either way, I love me some apocalyptic mayhem. And is it just me, or did Keanu deliver those lines pretty darn well when he was getting questioned. I’m game.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Doesn’t look half bad! The original is just straight up classic, though.
There are many worse choices than Keanu for a role like this, but there also quite a few better ones at that. But hey, we’re not the ones being paid to cast a big budget flick, so if they feel it was the right choice, then more power to them!
SIDE NOTE:
(I liked seeing Gort at the end of the trailer. )
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Looks. Like. Crap.
You can’t reinvent the wheel. Original “Day the Earth Stood Still” FTW!
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
This looks great in the trailer. I hope the film holds up just as well.
I’m still not sure yet how I feel about this as a remake. But I did end up loving the Dawn of The Dead remake immensely.
So…
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Plus Connelly is in it. And she’s both a great actress and yummy
;)
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Gort was there, just hidden.
http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/6198/gortfi4.png
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/6198/gortfi4.png
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Neat. And, um…isn’t Gort seen at the end of the trailer?
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Too late to see now it seems.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
John Carpenters “The Thing” was great despite it being a remake. So I’ll give this one a chance. Remakes if timed right and done well “can” work.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I love the original and the warning about nuclear weapons…however if the remake is going to have an over-indulgent “climate change” message, I might have to skip it. They should keep the war theme, not change it to environmentalism.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
hollywood dickheads, come up with something original FFS!
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Yet another alien invasion flick….. yawn.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I love these kinds of movies, so I was sold on the concept alone. Now that I know there’s an original I’ll definitely check it out.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
gort is definitely at the end of the trailer for a second.. his laser eye shooting out is used as a transition
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Just got back from Hancock and I have to say I was seriously impressed with this trailer, def made me want to see it.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I really like this trailer. The best one I saw before Hancock besides Quantum of Solace. The truck and stadium getting dissolved looks amazing. Definitely excited for this now.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Gort is in the trailer :D
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Really well cut trailer. Now let’s see what they do with the film.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
They got Keanu Reeves???
Aliens, destruction, a know-it-all savior from the cosmos…
This role was like shouting TOM CRUISE!
wtf? I’m so disillusioned. :(
And what’s with the giant poke ball of planetary destruction? Have the production designers not seen ‘Sphere’? The Death Star?
Hardly original.
Nice to see that Connelly has finally shaved her uni-brow though. Sexy.
And is that Will Smith’s kid? wtf, he mad Pursuit of Happiness like 3 years ago, and yet he hasn’t aged. Is he this generations Webster or something! I need these answers NOW darnit!
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
J Butler,
Sounds like you need google for your many questions. Are you usually this confused?
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Looks like the Day After Tomorrow part two. (that’s a bad thing)
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
“:0″
Hunter says.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
it looks the great!!!!!!! i will always go to see big budget alien visitor movies so i am very biased but i very very like this!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
^ What the fuck is thiiiiiiiiiis?
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
So, Neo comes to reboot the world, huh? The World FTW!
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:22 pm
If they didn’t name it The Day The Earth Stood Still and gave it an original title, it’d be fine.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
“J Butler,
Sounds like you need google for your many questions. Are you usually this confused?”
Please stay on topic.
Speaking of the topic………anyone think that the continued use of imagery which demonstrates the destruction of a sports stadium (Transformers, Superman Returns, this movie) is in fact social commentary on our dwindling fascination with actually going to parks and watching sports.
Literally, the big summer movies are driving the masses indoors, away from America’s old favorite past time. For all intents and purposes destroying the ball parks by redirecting their main audience (eg bored people with lots of summertime to burn) and then projecting this destruction up onto the screen to further bask in the glory.
Thoughts?
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I see if the reviews are good.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
jennifer connelly is so hot. so hot.
and the trailer was pretty good.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
That was actually pretty good… and Keanu Reeves was, dare I say, alright.
Well then, maybe I might check this movie out after all.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
2008’s i am legend.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Jon Hamm IS Kingdom Come Superman.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I will wait for the DVD.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
this looks great, and i think reeves is a cool actor.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Gotta say that I am pleasantly surprised with the execution so far. Personally I was getting a body snatchers vibe. Here’s just hoping the dialogue doesn’t feel like a philosophy class(yeah I am talking about you Wachowskis).
Also to all the Keanu Reeves haters; go watch a Will Smith movie if you want to see the worst acting from a human being. He’s worse than his wife. Keanu has Bill & Ted, Private Idaho, The Matrix, Point Break, and The Gift (seriously watch this if you think he’s that bad an actor).
As for Will Smith he’s got…. he’s got…. does ID4 count if bad acting is appropriate?
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Reeves actually showed some impressive skills in the trailer.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Nuclear war…bad. Using plastic grocery bags…not so much.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
@Gorman
Dude, not cool. Will Smith is one of my favorite actors… he was awesome in Persuit of Happyness and IRobot!
Keanu Reeves sucked in all the movies he was in, including the Matrix. Luckily I’m a fan of the Wachowski’s cool filmmaking (including the “philosophy class”)
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
@ Gorman
Want to see Will Smith act? Go watch Six Degrees of Separation. He was young and hungry and trying to counter balance the popularity of his tv show and his recording career, and…dun, dun, dun…he plays a gay character (shreik!). It’s a really great performance in a really good film. Besides that though, I think that he’s fun to watch, but I would agree that he’s not a Great actor.
Then again, once or twice a year he gets 20 million reasons to just keep doing what he’s doing.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
nintendie - “hollywood dickheads, come up with something original FFS!”
Agreed! So many great projects still up for grabs to ever have to shoot a remake.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
skaught,
Unfortunately. Weta has the better effects in this trailer than “The Mummy” style stretchy-mouth loud people in I Am Legend.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Is Keanu/Klaatu going to take humans up in that space pod and eat them? Oh, wait. That would be the Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man.” …It’s a coooook booook!
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
wilson - I came in here to post the exact same thing. I could care less about a Superman movie really, but if they’re going to go down that road again, Jon Hamm is the man.
Oh, and this trailer was great.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ was a Cold War-era classic. Jesus, why does Hollywood constantly have to remake such pieces of cinematic art so they can advertise/sell their latest ‘We Care … No, seriously, we do … Not really, but do it any way’ trend.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Trailer looks awesome but the trailer for The Happening looked awesome too…
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
@A Better Class of Criminal
Dude, I’m way cool. It is too bad that Will Smith is one of your favorite actors. I understand that with a repertoire that includes The Legend of Bagger Vance, Bad Boys, Hitch, and I Robot. Hey look at me! I’m Will Smith in I Robot. Watch me dramatically get out of bed in the morning over and over. Watch me sigh. Woo-hee. It’s like watching a mime.
It’s completely alright to say that Will Smith is your favorite actor, but I certainly would’nt call him a good actor. There are a lot of actors I would label as favorites who aren’t particularly great actors. Looking at anything prior to Unforgiven you’d think Clint Eastwood was only capable of two role; the quiet drifter or the angry doesn’t play by the rules cop. Heck I’m a fan of Charlton Heston but seriously he’s a terrible actor(I hate to bad mouth the deceased).
I have a difficult time identifying Keanu as a terrible actor in the Matrix though as he has that “who the hell else would play Neo?” thing in his favor. I thought he worked for that role and earned it. When I took that potshot at the Wachowskis twins I wasn’t referring to the Matrix, I was referring to their infantile heavyhanded rewrites on The Invasion.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:06 pm
@Ohiofile
I agree completely with the idea that one can like an actor who is not actually great(my previous comment elaborates). You could say they are more icon than actor, and that’s fine. I just don’t like Will Smith as an icon either.
I have seen Six Degrees of Separation. I, again, thought he was the weakest link in the film, though that may be because I found him overshadowed by the much more experienced cast. Will Smith’s homophobia actually ruined this film. That’s what you get for listening to Denzel Washington (who happens to be a great actor and a huge $%^hole). He plays a homosexual and yet refused to kiss Anthony Michael Hall on screen. Clearly he’s not a method actor nor does he respect the craft.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
It’s funny when people decide to divide up films into two categories of some following “trends” while others don’t.
The point of most cinema is they take the current themes whether they’re political or fiction and run with them. It’s always been strange to me that people will push aside all the assinine Cold War/Communist propaganda subject matter found in classic films. But throw a fit when something they think resembles today’s cultural climate?
Like deciding to not watch a film based on an actors or directors religious or sexual background. Silly.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Have you all lost your freakin’ minds? This looks absolutely horrible.
They are crapping all over a great sci-fi movie and remaking it as some sort of pop culture nightmare. There was a small chance that this film could be decent and, if this trailer is any indication, they missed the tone of that film by a mile. Seriously, is Roland Emmerich behind this curtain? A classier Day After Tomorrow?? That is funny - like being king of the turds.
I largely suspect that anyone into this trailer will be spinning a new line soon enough. It’s cool. Alien/Robot stories are shiny things that we all want to be good.
Even though I hate them, it IS possible to make a decent remake, although it is largely hinged on the tone derived from the original. The Thing was a good remake because it didn’t try to be too much. It stayed small, focussed, and dark.
I must be getting old because I see no merit here.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:41 pm
cool trailer, but as somebody also mentioned I didnt mind the trailer for The Happening either…and I even laughed a little when Hancock launched the whale.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I’ve loved the original since I was a kid. I’ll be seeing this one.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:49 pm
@ gocitizen
No, I agree with you. It looks like a slicker Day After Tomorrow with a lot of pandering about the environment and blah blah blah. I find it ironic how many movies are starting to deliver these New Age messages considering how much energy and waste will result from the rampant marketing, packaging and tie-ins. It’s hypocritical, but we’ve come to expect it.
As I stated in the post, I don’t think expectations were very high for this film, and the trailer wasn’t out-and-out lousy. The production values look decent, but anyone expecting a film like The Abyss or better is probably in for a letdown.
As far as the remake part of your argument, the original film came out a long, long time ago. I’m surprised one hasn’t happened sooner. And in this case, more people will probably check out the original, which is not a bad thing.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I can see ALIEN MOVIE hitting theaters in 2009 just to make a reference to this film.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
@Hunter
All, good points. I’ve managed to soak long enough to recall that The War of the Worlds remake gave me 2 acts of jaw dropping SFX a river of dead bodies, and a great “tracking” shot as the family skips town. If only the third act would have followed the concept art and gone over that damn hill…
You are right about there being enough time passes for a remake. I recall noting that in the previous blog post on the film. It doesn’t make it right, but I admit that old sci-fi films have great potential to be “new” again. I fully suspect that Forbidden Planet will get it’s new school clothes soon enough.
Perhaps, it is the tone they have taken with this trailer that derails me. The John Murphy score and the characters featured give me an Armageddon vibe (you know, call the President) that is hard to shake. If they have taken the “personal” story out of the story, I’m not optimistic. Klaatu has a few lines, but Connely’s character is just trailer dressing here. Kathy Bates paces. The hazmats approach “the hill”.
I could go for 30 minutes of Gort firing laser beams through people. If they can wrap their Gaia story around that and leave everybody in ashes, it wouldn’t be a remake, but I’d perk up.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
wow! I was going to be pissed if they changed the original concept, but the fact that klaatu is like a warning for something else entirely…wow. Trailer looks fairly decent. If its executed properly…just might be on to something…maybe.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Can someone tell me the point in making this movie? What new ideas is it gonna bring to the table? Is it gonna be better than the original? NO!!!!
July 4th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Just three notes:
1. This trailer looks decent. Keanu usually plays a drone character anyway. Now he’s pretty much a talking robot.
2. You honestly cannot compare Keanu Reeves to Will Smith. You just can’t. I’m a fan of both actors, but seriously, anybody could have played Neo just like anybody could have played Hancock. Will Smith demands more on screen attention than almost anybody, has better chemistry with his fellow actors, and Will Smith actually has an Oscar nomination. I didn’t see one for Johhny Numeric (I don’t even feel like looking up the movie to spell it right, it sucked that bad)
3. Ass to ass.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Trailer looks good. I was a bit skeptic when I found out they were going to do a remake of a giant like this… But I have to admit I think it looks… promising. Keanu Reeves seems good for this role (a bit distant/wooden/alien), and it makes sense to shift the reason of Klaatu coming from cold war to the environment (if that’s what its trly about).
The original was very topical back then, so it makes sense I think.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:20 am
No wonder the earth stood still they hooked it upto his brain….
Something strange is a foot at the Circle K indeed….
July 4th, 2008 at 4:28 am
wow
that doesnt look bad at all
kind of a war of the worlds vibe……..
i like!!
and i saw gort: last image of the trailer, where his eye flashes over the screen to give the 2december 12″ thingy.
look closely…..
;-D
July 4th, 2008 at 10:27 am
The trailer looks fantastic! I really don’t understand why some people are to ready to call this film down when they haven’t even seen it yet. Take it at face value and enjoy for what it is. OK, it’s a re-make of a classic and that is a pretty hard act to follow. However, as someone else pointed out, John Carpenter re-made The Thing and it has went on to reach cult status. I agree that Keanu Reeves has not set the world on fire with his acting ability, but then you either take him or you leave him. Hopefully this film can live up to the expectation.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
The Happening with Aliens.
I heard they totally changed Gort and he looks nothing like the original.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Gorman, I’m surprised you didn’t mention “Constantine” in your Keanu list. :-)
July 4th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
@790
At least I find that Constantine is watchable. I still can’t help but think how much better it would have been with Paul Bettany or Guy Pearce as Constantine though.
For me it is a lot like I Am Legend(also directed by Francis Lawrence), a film a refuse to watch. It’s not because of Will Smith (though of course he is completely miscast for the role as well) but actually Akiva Goldsman. I Am Legend is my favorite novel and I could not take the creative changes that Goldsman went with.
Now excuse me, I need to watch the Watcher. ;)
July 4th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Don’t get me wrong Gorman I liked Constantine.
And I respect your not seeing “I am Ledgend.” I too voice my disgust with the direction of films by not viewing them. ! Wild Wild West come to mind.
Talk about mis-casting, and that giant Spider is a in town hollywood joke.
;-)
July 5th, 2008 at 12:26 am
I dont like the part “my body is”.. I want him to be an alien, including his body, I want to see a fuckin UFO landing in the white house GOD DAMIT!
July 5th, 2008 at 4:47 am
unnecessary remake. do not want.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Looks really cheap.
The kid with the curly stylist haircut cheapens it up even more.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
gocitizen -
Have to agree with you. The original is my favorite of all time. Keanu looks totally wooden (what’s new), while the original “alien” showed a measured but, nevertheless human side.
Adding additional saucers/aliens or making Gort “more menacing, more mobile” will just totally commercialize an absolute classic of a film.
Based on the trailer I wouldn’t bother to see their attempts to modernize the film and thus, to butcher it in the process.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I am really disappointed after watching this trailer… A giant orb, an a(#hole of an alien, why would aliens care about a single planet if they have the power to destroy everything on it they probably have the power to convert a planet like mars or venus to be habitable. The whole premise of the first movie was the aliens didn’t give a crap what humans did but now they were getting the power to threaten the rest of the galaxy so they were stepping in. Almost all the lessons from the orig. still apply today, and i’m sure they could have worked in some global warming crap in the story too. How about tying the new space race in with it, maybe take a few years forward when US and China start fighting over the moon or something. I SAY LAME..
JButler
“Speaking of the topic………anyone think that the continued use of imagery which demonstrates the destruction of a sports stadium (Transformers, Superman Returns, this movie) is in fact social commentary on our dwindling fascination with actually going to parks and watching sports.”
ppl aren’t going to as many sports parks because tickets are so god damn expensive because the bitch ass teams and leagues keep jacking up the prices of everything so they can keep raking in the same amount of profit every year and still pay those god damn ridiculous salaries.
July 20th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
loved the music, sounds like beowulf and 28 weeks later
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
First visuals are amazing, sound adds content and suspense. Looking forward to seeing Keanu Reeves. This movie is a modern classic.
July 28th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
looks like a bunch of global warming hippy crap. i think i’ll pass on this “lets try to send a message” hollywood BS.
August 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
The sooner all humans are eradicated from this earth the better.