The Day the Earth Stood Still

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The Day the Earth Stood Still

PG-13

2008

1h 44m

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

21%

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195 Reviews

27%

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250,000+ Ratings

Klaatu, an extraterrestrial visitor to planet Earth, becomes the herald of upheaval on a global scale. As the world's governments and scientists race to understand what is happening and how to stop it, Dr. Helen Benson and her stepson come to understand the chilling ramifications behind Klaatu's statement that he is a "friend to the Earth."

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Critics Consensus

Heavy on special effects, but without a coherent story at its base, The Day the Earth Stood Still is subpar re-imagining of the 1951 science-fiction classic.

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David Stratton

The Australian

01/08/2009

3.5/5

Derrickson and his team take a much-loved sci-fi classic and, even if they can't improve on the original, at least rework it in intriguing ways.

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David Edelstein

New York Magazine/Vulture

12/15/2008

The remake of that fine old fifties alien-invasion picture The Day the Earth Stood Still comes to a standstill about an hour before the Earth does in the wilds of New Jersey.

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Christopher Orr

The New Republic

12/12/2008

One can only hope that in the future [Reeves] will devote himself to playing androids, less-self-aware species of undead, stylish pieces of contemporary furniture, and other roles that do not require the exhibition of any recognizably human traits.

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Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

02/18/2025

4/10

Ultimately, the story of The Day the Earth Stood Still is as naive as the one from 1951, something that should have been adapted a little more to the times. [Full review in Spanish]

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

11/28/2020

3/10

The computer animation and picture quality is significantly cleaner and more impressive than the low-budget, man-in-a-foam-suit costuming of the 1951 classic.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/05/2020

1.5/4.0

If you look past the fairly cool special effects you're going to see a film at war with itself.

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tom l

@hystericfagg Feb 3

I know it's a movie from 2008, considering that, special effects and all CGI is not bad at all. The script, tho, is really terrible and cliché. Of course it has to be in NY. And what about the explanations about the beginning, what exactly is this extraterrestrial entity and the things related to it ? no real answer. The end is as empty and pointless than the beginning, and again, cliché and far from being realistic in therms of human emotions, decisions. Like, it's only after seeing 3 individuals that the "alien" decides not to erase the human race? Man, military response after seeing an extraterrestrial entity for more than 2 seconds is to shoot at it, like, wtf? (even tho we all know USA government response could be that way ; profoundly dumb). Three humans said the entire human race will change and that's it ? He believes it ? It's pathetic, but again, it was 2008 so just for that I'll give it 2 stars instead of one. But it was painful to watch, even with such a good cast.

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Wally R

Jan 25

Not bad for the remake of a classic...great special effects..acting above average

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Herb W.

@skerb69 Jan 22

For sci-fi and the time period it came out, not a bad watch at all

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Bo R

@BoniRoga Jan 12

Lo único bueno de la película es el actor Keanu Reeves y los efectos especiales de la tecnología avanzada, sin embargo, el resto y sobre todo el final es decepcionante. Casi no hay trama, dejan cabos sueltos, no es tan emotiva, sinceramente yo hubiera preferido un final diferente o por lo menos razones válidas para que el alíen perdonara a la humanidad y más protagonismo a otros actores, escenas mejor explicadas o con fluidez.

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Scott E

Nov 28

Great beginning. Good middle. Terrible ending.

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Samara H

Sep 20

I loved this movie i think this sheds a important light on situations going on right now and how we really do need to focus more on helping the earth and saving por planet

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Scott Derrickson

Director

Keanu Reeves

Klaatu

Jennifer Connelly

Dr. Helen Benson

Kathy Bates

Regina Jackson

Jaden Smith

Jacob Benson

John Cleese

Professor Barnhardt

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The Day the Earth Stood Still: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Klaatu, an extraterrestrial visitor to planet Earth, becomes the herald of upheaval on a global scale. As the world's governments and scientists race to understand what is happening and how to stop it, Dr. Helen Benson and her stepson come to understand the chilling ramifications behind Klaatu's statement that he is a "friend to the Earth."

Director: Scott Derrickson
Producer: Gregory Goodman, Paul Harris Boardman, Erwin Stoff
Screenwriter: David Scarpa
Production Co: 3 Arts Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Violence|Some Sci-Fi Disaster Images)
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 12, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $79.4M
Runtime: 1h 44m

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