"Klaatu barada nikto!"
When it comes to the Sci-Fi sub-genre of "Alien Visitation" flicks, I honestly don't think that they get much more intelligent and thought-provoking as this sparkling gem from 1951.
If there are other such "Alien Visitation" flicks out there that do promote this satisfying level of genuine intelligence in their stories, then I would sure like to hear about them. (Please feel free to message me with their titles)
Impressively directed by Robert Wise, The Day The Earth Stood Still (TDTESS) actually did manage to deliver quite a seamless and evocative blend of the ordinary melded very nicely with the fantastic.
This is the sort of motion picture that really gives the viewer the pleasant opportunity of actually getting to know (and, maybe, even like) its characters.
Even the 10 year-old kid, Bobby Benson, was a likable sort. And, believe me, I usually loathe kids in movies. They almost never fail to be totally irksome and nothing but spoiled, little, snot-nosed brats.
Yet, here in TDTESS, the young Billy Gray's portrayal of Bobby was very much like a literal breath of fresh air. This youthful, wide-eyed actor really seemed to understand his character and make him interesting.
Anyways - Traveling at warp-speed (that's 4000 mph.) and taking a 5-month, 250 million mile journey to get here, TDTESS's story has Klaatu, the very distinguished and cool-headed alien, arriving in Washington, DC in order to deliver his dire, top-priority message to all of us naughty-naughty Earthlings.
After being observed for many years by other outer-planetary civilizations, it has been determined that (through the discovery of atomic power) we Earthlings, with our unbridled destructiveness, have become a very-very serious threat to the overall peace and security of the other planets which exist in this endlessly vast universe.
Klaatu must now address all nations of the Earth and somehow convince one and all to cease with these violent ways, or else face some mighty devastating consequences.
You can bet that if Klaatu's firm words of warning can't induce us Earthlings to reconsider our ways, then, believe me, Gort, the all-powerful robot, definitely has his own special brand of persuasion that doesn't take "No" for an answer.
Trust me - In spite of its flaws, TDTESS is, without question, a classic Sci-Fi/Thriller that's really worth its weight in gold.
And "Klaatu barada nikto!" to you, too!
P.S. - This film's 2008 remake was an absolutely despicable desecration of the highest order.
When it comes to the Sci-Fi sub-genre of "Alien Visitation" flicks, I honestly don't think that they get much more intelligent and thought-provoking as this sparkling gem from 1951.
If there are other such "Alien Visitation" flicks out there that do promote this satisfying level of genuine intelligence in their stories, then I would sure like to hear about them. (Please feel free to message me with their titles)
Impressively directed by Robert Wise, The Day The Earth Stood Still (TDTESS) actually did manage to deliver quite a seamless and evocative blend of the ordinary melded very nicely with the fantastic.
This is the sort of motion picture that really gives the viewer the pleasant opportunity of actually getting to know (and, maybe, even like) its characters.
Even the 10 year-old kid, Bobby Benson, was a likable sort. And, believe me, I usually loathe kids in movies. They almost never fail to be totally irksome and nothing but spoiled, little, snot-nosed brats.
Yet, here in TDTESS, the young Billy Gray's portrayal of Bobby was very much like a literal breath of fresh air. This youthful, wide-eyed actor really seemed to understand his character and make him interesting.
Anyways - Traveling at warp-speed (that's 4000 mph.) and taking a 5-month, 250 million mile journey to get here, TDTESS's story has Klaatu, the very distinguished and cool-headed alien, arriving in Washington, DC in order to deliver his dire, top-priority message to all of us naughty-naughty Earthlings.
After being observed for many years by other outer-planetary civilizations, it has been determined that (through the discovery of atomic power) we Earthlings, with our unbridled destructiveness, have become a very-very serious threat to the overall peace and security of the other planets which exist in this endlessly vast universe.
Klaatu must now address all nations of the Earth and somehow convince one and all to cease with these violent ways, or else face some mighty devastating consequences.
You can bet that if Klaatu's firm words of warning can't induce us Earthlings to reconsider our ways, then, believe me, Gort, the all-powerful robot, definitely has his own special brand of persuasion that doesn't take "No" for an answer.
Trust me - In spite of its flaws, TDTESS is, without question, a classic Sci-Fi/Thriller that's really worth its weight in gold.
And "Klaatu barada nikto!" to you, too!
P.S. - This film's 2008 remake was an absolutely despicable desecration of the highest order.