Review of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) by Ben L — 05 Feb 2017

I thought I knew basically what this movie was about from cultural osmosis, because I've heard it referenced frequently. Sure enough the themes of this movie did little to surprise me. The movie feels like just another B-movie that could end up on MST3K, but the subject matter does a lot to elevate it above the dreck. It hits on some strong topics that were vitally important back in the 50s.

I thought Michael Rennie was good as Klaatu. He had an alien demeanor to him that was almost robotic, but there was also an underlying softness that took off some of the edge when he was interacting with other people. Child actors are often a struggle for me, but I enjoyed Bobby Benson. It's certainly in the golly-gee style of many 50s kid's performances, but it seemed to fit with this movie and his role in it.

I couldn't help laughing at a few of the ways life was different back then. For instance, when the Mom allows her son to spend the day with a stranger touring the city. Also, the police seemed entirely too laid back and relaxed when tensions were escalating. The nature of Klaatu's mission is a little odd when you actually think about it, but I got over it quickly because the message he delivers had significant relevance to the original viewers of this movie.

It's a film that I did enjoy to a point, but it didn't impress me in any significant way. It possibly suffered a bit because I literally saw it only a few hours before I went to see Arrival in the theater, and that movie has some similar themes but is more nuanced in the way those things are handled. I'd probably watch The Day the Earth Stood Still again if asked but it won't make my list of favorite science fiction films.