Maybe its just me but I just don’t get the appeal of Keanu Reeves. Most of his films are a snoozefest in part because of his lack of any emotional intensity on screen. Deadpan is the expression I would use to describe every one of his performances. Seen one Keanu Reeves performance, seen them all. I was hoping against hope that the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still would be an exception. Unfortunately, my hopes were “dashed” again.

Film

The Day The Earth Stood Still is a remake of the 1951 classic which was released earlier this year on Blu-ray and included again in this release. The film stars Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, an alien life form in a human body who comes to earth to save the planet from human beings. In this regard, the film is a bit different from the original where Klaatu came to the Earth to warn us of our dangerous ways in an effort to save the planet from nuclear war and total annihilation.

In the remake, the die has already been cast and Klaatu’s role is to bring about the destruction of the human race. Tthe military is able to detect the approach of his ship and determines that it will hit Manhattan. The military mobilizes experts of many scientific fields including a exo-biologist played by Jennifer Connelly and transports them to what they believe will be an impact site. It is her character and that of her step son who develop a bond with Klaatu and attempt to convince him to call off the destruction of the human race.

As I noted in my intro to this review, this film is a real snoozefest. It really plods on and on without much in the way of action and suspense, nearly putting you to sleep. In this regard, the film is very different that the 1951 film which while slow, actually builds a palpable sense of suspense. While part of this is undoubtedly due to Mr. Reeves’ performance, the real culprit is the script which is dreadful. While it is great to see a sci-fi classic such as the original The Day The Earth Stood Still remade, it really deserved a much better effort than that presented here In watching this film, it really seem as if the Earth did in fact stand still. Unfortunately, it was standing still for us, the viewer. If you must, check this film out on the basis of a rental only. Purchase it at your own risk and don’t say that you weren’t warned.

Video

I must say that I was expecting a better looking film than the one provided on this release. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to like about the look of the film. The colors are well saturated and fairly natural looking with deep and stable blacks.

At first glance, the film looks quite good. However, as you move through the film you notice that it a a bit soft, lacking the level of detail and clarity of the better looking Blu-ray releases. Perhaps this is due to the fact the film either takes place at night or in cloudy or gloomy settings. However, I was less than thrilled with the level of detail exhibited in the actors’ faces, clothing and backgrounds, which were somewhat soft in comparison with a film such as iron Man for instance, which has a similar color palette as this film but has a much higher level of detail, texture and clarity than this film. Had The Day The Earth Stood Still had the same level of clarity and detail as Iron Man, I would be a happy camper. However, it doesn’t. For a proposed blockbuster film, I expected more than what was delivered on this release. Does it look awful? No, far from it. However, it lacks the level of detail and clarity that we have come to expect from Blu-ray releases, especially from a new film such as this.

Audio

Much to my surprise, I was almost as disappointed with the audio on this release as I was with the video. For such a modern film and a DTS HD Master Audio encode to boot, this film should have sounded better than it does here. As was the case with the video, the audio does have a a lot going for it as well. The overall sound of the film is quite smooth without a hint of brightness or shrillness. The surround speakers are also actively engaged throughout, creating a nice sense of immersion. Sound effects were well placed in the sound field. The dialogue was also well recorded and well placed in the mix. I never had to strain to hear the dialogue, even during action sequences. However, where this encode fell short for me was in the level of dynamics, transparency and imaging.

The film lacked the sense of depth, openness and heft that are the hallmarks of the best sounding sound designs. Quite simply, the sound of this film is a bit on the flat side. Lackluster is the word that springs to mind when describing the sound of the film. The sound just does not grab hold of you and pull you into the film, lacking much in the way of tension or suspense. In this regard, the audio presentation is a match for the overall narrative of the film. That is not a good thing at all. I really expected better.

Special Features

This release is packed with many extras, the best of which being the Blu-Ray copy of the original 1951 film which is well worth your time as well as a digital copy of the film compatible with Macs and PCs. For those of you unfamiliar with the original film, I would recommend that you watch it before the new release to see just how good 1950′s era sci-fi could be.

The new version of the film comes equipped with a commentary by screenwriter David Scarpa and a picture-in-picture Bonusview: Klaatu’s Unseen Artifacts where you can watch effects that did make make the film in a box during the actual running of the film. You may want to skip this extra it is entirety as it requires that you watch the film a second time. Also included is a interactive feature, Build your own Gort.

The extras also include the usual deleted scenes, and still galleries consisting of concept art, production stills and storyboards. Also included are 4 featurettes, including Re-imagining The Day Documentary which details the remaking of the film with interviews with the director, screenwriter and members of the cast as well as Watching the Skies: In Search of Extra-terresterial Life which focuses mainly on the SETI program. Also included are the featurettes Unleashing Gort and The Day the Earth Was Green. The film is also enhanced for D-Box Motion Control systems.

Final Thoughts

Overall, The Day The Earth Stood Still is a disappointing release in that it features audio and video that were both a bit of a disappointment. The film itself is what it is, a pale imitation of the original. Fortunately, the original is included with this release so that you can make that comparison yourself.