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plotline
Jun 05, 2017plotline rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Peerless "There must be security for all or no one is secure."- Klaatu, to the world's leaders at the conclusion of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Here is the ne plus ultra for sci-fi movies. It does not pander to the child in us like E.T. It does not befuddle with dazzling images like 2001. Though it does present a threat from outer space, it does not take the form of a drooling, acid-for-blood whatsis with razor fangs and a taste for human flesh. Instead, it proposes that there are indeed humanoid lifeforms in existence off the Earth with, dare I write it, powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men (though Klaatu can't fly and is in no way bulletproof). THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is intelligent, engrossing and damn scary. Director Robert Wise (yup, he directed WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC and, unfortunately, the first STAR TREK movie), with the invaluable aid of Edmund H. North's fine script, utilizes a spare, noirish style to deliver a powerful statement about man's capacity for self-destruction. Only 92 minutes long, the film says volumes without sermonizing about a serious topic. And it does so most entertainingly. It makes the fantastic seem not only plausible but very likely. Bernard Herrmann creates a persistent mood of uneasiness with the vibrating eeriness of his Therimin-driven music. Michael Rennie's urbane spaceman radiates a barely contained bemusement and contempt for the violence prone humans he faces. In this early role, Patricia Neal displays how gifted she was at conveying subtle emotional shifts. Through the eyes of Billy Gray we see wonder, puzzlement and terror as only a child can experience them but without condescension. Lastly, in all the annals of sci-fi moviedom few can match the unstoppable power of Gort. Klaatu barada nikto..... (And please don't waste your time with the utter failure that is the 2008 Keanu Reeves remake; just revel in the enduring excellence of the original). 3/25/16