by Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Great science fiction is a representation of its time and a window into the world of the future. 73 years after its first appearance… The day the Earth stopped Still relevant unfortunately. Released during the early years of the Cold War, the sci-fi classic explores what happens when an alien comes to peace and is bewildered by our fractured world and the man-made divisions between us. The classic story has been told time and time again, but the original 1951 film remains the best and serves as a reminder that humanity has not advanced as much as we would like to believe.
Historical science fiction film
Even if you've never seen one The day the Earth stoppedyou'll learn about the opening by a flying saucer landing in Washington, D.C., where it is immediately surrounded by the military. Klaatu, a stern-looking human Alien Actor Michael Rennie may look human, but he's clearly alien from the way he moves and speaks, while his bodyguard, Gort, is a tall, imposing robot who silently protects his master. After declaring that he has a message for all of humanity's leaders, Klaatu is shot almost immediately, prompting Gort to attack the soldiers in a moment that does not need modern special effects to deliver the message.
Klaatu ends up meeting Helen Benson and her son Bobby during his mission to better understand humanity. The young boy takes the alien on a tour around the city, answering his questions about Earth and humanity along the way, bringing up the topic of war. This is the focus of the message in it The day the Earth stoppedas Klaatu explains after only a few scenes of a talented scientist, the aggressive nature of Earthlings combined with the recent advent of nuclear power, has set a goal on Earth to contain humans.
Timeless symbolism
The day the Earth stopped It ends as expected with Klaatu, disillusioned with humanity, warning the gathered crowds to abandon their warlike nature, abandon the current path of nuclear annihilation, or they will be destroyed. It is significantly different from the original story, Goodbye Mastera short story written by Harry Bates and published in 1940, before Oppenheimer He helped invent the atomic bomb, but by drawing on a Cold War narrative, the 1951 film has become a timeless allegory. There is little action and rudimentary special effects, but Michael Rennie's performance as Klaatu haunts me and is a model for… Aliens Hollywood still uses it today.
When I was a kid I first showed interest Science fiction, The day the Earth stopped It was one of the tapes my mom rented from the local library so I could see the kind of science fiction I grew up on. Even then, I had been subjected to countless parodies and tributes to the film, ranging from the concept of an alien coming in peace to speak to the leaders and Gort from the Saturday Morning Cartoons. However, the bleak nature of the film, combined with its black-and-white presentation, blew me away, and today it remains one of my favorite films.
A soulless remake
The day the Earth stopped It was renovated in 2008 with Keanu Reeves The Cold War theme of nuclear annihilation is also pushed aside to be replaced by an environmental message. Unfortunately, despite a fantastic cast that includes Jennifer Connolly, John CleeseAnd with Jon Hamm and Kathy Bates, the remake went too far to become a sci-fi spectacle. It looks amazing, and it was a minor hit in theaters, but there's a reason it's a 21 percent spoiler. Rotten tomatoes While the original script is 95 percent fresh: it lacks the essence of the original screenplay.
In fact, the 2008 film serves as a great argument against remaking classic films. The day the Earth stopped Steeped in the paranoia of the Cold War, but even decades after the specific time it generated, the theme of man's capacity for violence remains relevant. So why do it again for a new generation if the true purpose of the film, as an allegory about war, has been abandoned in favor of CGI?
A must-see classic
There are a few films that I think should be seen as part of the indispensable film canon, however The day the Earth stopped One of these films, in 1995, was added to the National Film Registry for being culturally significant, which means I'm not alone in this opinion. Especially for science fiction fans, the original film can be considered an almost perfect film that encompasses the best of the genre. Science fiction, at its best, inspires us to do better. Klaatu parado nikto.
The day the Earth stopped Only available to stream as part of video on demand via Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TVand Fandango at home. And check out GenreVision podcast episode On both versions!
