The Day the Earth Stood Still
Director: Robert Wise
Year Released: 1951
Rating: 2.0
Apparently quite relevant when it was released in the 50's but drastically less so today, despite the never-ending threat of wars with other countries (Israel, Palestine, China, etc.). It looks dated (that spacecraft is obviously made out of something that looks like clay or molding) and is awfully sluggish despite its minimal running time (92 minutes). One interesting innovation to the genre was making the "alien" another human (Michael Rennie), who arrives with his robot Gort (an actor wearing a rubber suit) to preach a Very Important Message about the dangerous use of atomic energy, which, of course, comes at the very end (for maximum impact), after he learns the intricacies of human life and how similar it is to his own. Silly at times, but also slick – I found myself not laughing or bored by it but still consumed by the feeling that it's soulless. Note: This was written before 09/11. Muy clairvoyant?
