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The Day The Earth Stood Still - Waiting for Keanu
The question in my mind, upon hearing that Scott Derrickson was directing a remake of the 1951 movie from a new screenplay by David Scarpa, was not "Why mess with a classic?" but rather "Why call it by that title?" Beyond the obvious serendipity of having an actor with a five-letter name starting with "K" and ending with "u" playing a character I read the story many years after I had seen the movie many times. The original remains my favorite science-fiction movie of all time while the short story leaves me disappointed. Still, I'm skeptical of the remake for many reasons, reminding me of my concerns about "War of the Worlds" a couple years ago. 1. Michael Rennie was a cool, sophisticated Klaatu. Keanu Reeves is an action hero. I don't see this as an action movie but then, I'm thinking of the romantic 1951 version. Derrickson seems to have a different vision and a different plot with a different ending so I'll give him the benefit of my patience until I get my popcorn in hand. 2. I hate CGI. I'm a computer graphics engineer but I'm also a nuts-and-bolts-and-motors live theatre special effects designer. I would much rather see an eight-foot-tall Gort built by the Asimo Team at Honda than another goddamned cartoon robot. If Derrickson has to blow things up, I prefer dynamite to fractals. But that's just me. 3. The 1951 script by Edmund North was intellectual as well as suspenseful. In his story, scientists were smart, reasonable and the true powerbrokers of the world. The minute the tanks, jet fighters and field artillery show up the audiences start drooling IQ points into their Mister Pibbs and I start wanting my money back. 4. I don't want to hear anybody say "Klaatu barada nikto." Patricia Neal said that. So did Ringo Starr. That's enough. I'll be back after the movie to let you know whether I still like movies or not.
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