He’d be better as Gort.
-
About Bad Astronomy
Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He's written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic and fights the abuse of science, but his true love is praising the wonders of real science.
The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking, movie reviews, and all that) can be found here.
Contact me: The Bad Astronomer "at" gmail "dot" com
Bad Astronomy was chosen as one of Time.com's Best Blogs of 2009. Science Getaways
Subscribe to BA
Death from the Skies!
Order a copy of Death from the Skies! from Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
"If things worked the way I wanted them to, any reporter about to do another 'sensational' story on deadly meteors would consult this volume, and bang! common sense would find its way into the news. How strange would that world be?"
-- Adam Savage, Mythbusters
"Reading this book is like getting punched in the face by Carl Sagan. Frightening, but oddly exhilarating."
-- Daniel H. Wilson, author of How to Survive a Robot UprisingSocial/Networking/Cool Stuff
DISCOVERmagazine.com: Latest Articles on Space- DISCOVER Blogs: The Loom
- A Planet of Viruses: Autographed Book Sale
- Animal Friendships: My cover story for Time magazine
- The Future of E-books–podcast of my interview on Wisconsin Public Radio
- Thursday, February 16: Science and social media panel in New York
- A Scientific Jonah: My profile of Joy Reidenberg in tomorrow’s New York Times
Copyright © 2012, Kalmbach Publishing Co.
Privacy - Terms - Reader Services - Subscribe Today - Advertise - About Us
August 27th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
“Dudes! Give up your terrorist ways, or we will destroy you! Whoa!”
August 27th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
No…………..
August 27th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
This is turning out to be something of a shibboleth, distinguishing those who remember him most clearly from Bill and Ted and those who remember him most clearly from The Matrix.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
“Be excellent to each other, we shall totally nuke your planet in a most heinous way, duuuuudes.”
August 27th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
“Be excellent to each other, we shall totally nuke your planet in a most heinous way, duuuuudes.”
“Whoa, I know mathematics.”
August 27th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
But, but, but….
*Groans*
*Begins slamming head against wall repeatedly*
No, no, no, no, No! It’s all wrong!!
At first I was skeptical, but I was curious enough that I’d have watched the movie. Now I’m pretty cool to the whole idea.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I think it could be much, much worse.
If you can get past the fact that they’re needlessly remaking one of the greatest science-fiction movies of all time, having Reeves as Klaatu maybe isn’t the worst choice.
He is sort of other-worldly, in a disconnected and spacey kind of way. And despite all his haters, he’s been known to turn out a halfway-decent performance from time to time.
I think it could be much, MUCH worse.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Well, obviously I haven’t been paying attention. I thought that was supposed to be Tony Blair dropping in to bring peace to the Middle East.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Keanu
- EXCELLENT!!
as Klaatu
- Bogus!
August 27th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
“I… am… a… most… excellent…alien…”
I like the article that was linked, though. Keanu Reeves has strengths? What, exactly, are they? I mean, besides destroying any character interest that might have occurred…
I suppose it could have been worse, though. Can you imagine a smug, spoiled Klaatu played by Tom Cruise? At least Keanu sounds pretty offworldly…
[Yes, that's a word. Hush]
August 27th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Given the Keanu Reaves casting, I think either William Sadler (as Death) or Hugo Weaving (as Agent Smith) should be cast as Gort.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Someone once explained to me that there are two ways to be successful in Hollywood. One is to be a phenomenonally great actor. The other is to show up to the set on time and sober with your lines memorized, and to treat the crew with respect. Reeves apparently goes the second route.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I expect Keanu will be very good in this role. He was a tremendous in the film “The Gift”.
To the naysayers: I thought “Who is this Daniel Craig guy. Humph. He’ll be a lousy bond.” Boy, was I ever wrong. Arguably the best bond since Connery (In my eyes, tied).
So let’s wait and see…
August 27th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I can see it now… “Like Whoa… klaatu barada nikto”…. “Dude.”
It’s bad enough there are satanists (and perhaps ID people) who are behind this remake (and I kidding, or not?), but to have Keanu….
It just goes to show that Hollyweird doesn’t have anything new.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
He was pretty damned good in Tune in Tomorrow, imo. Also The Lake House. Let’s face it: Michael Rennie was not that brilliant an actor.
That said (and why do so many guys hate Keanu? And so many Keanu haters seem unable to get past Bill and Ted?) – why are they remaking this movie? It was absolutely a product of its time, and just about perfect.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Unless they cast Bruce Campbell, the movie will be no good. No movie is good without Bruce.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
I have seen the original and found it certainly a classic of Science Fiction Cinema. Completely inacurate, however. An interaction with Earthlings as shown in the movie would violate the Observer’s Code that all Obsevers, including myself, have sworn to uphold.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
It’d be cool if they could squeeze in a Bruce Campbell cameo.
Klaatu Barada Necktie!
August 27th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
That’s bad news but I think that instead of being a well played drama this version is going to be a long drawn out CGI bore fest. There will be no dialogue and lots of running around with special effects galore. Yes, special effects have gotten better in the last few years. We get that. Does it have to be the focus of every movie? Besides, between that and Halloween (and others, plus the movie versions of old tv shows), how many times do they expect us to watch the same thing? It’s a mystery to them why they aren’t making money like they were before people could pirate videos. It must be that! ;^)
The Ridger, have you ever seen Little Buddha, Much Ado About Nothing (deeply painful), or Constantine? Ouch! A cringe worthy performance every time, especially Much Ado About Nothing. He shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near Shakespeare and when he was in a cast that included Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, and Denzel Washington his shortcomings were very obvious.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
“It was totally a gift for your president dude…with it, he could have, like, studied the stars and other worlds. It would have been AWESOME. Now it’s just, like, broken. Bogus.”
Alex Winter as Gort!
August 27th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I don’t hate Keanu Reeves. I like Bill and Ted, and Constantine (which I thought was pretty cool, though I’ve never read the books), and a few other of his flicks. But it doesn’t matter: they could cast Scarlet Johansson and Kate Beckinsale and the woman who played Saffron in Firefly (and what the heck, Kaylee and Inarra, too) in this movie and I would still be unhappy.
Plus, I know know know they will screw up the ending. TDTESS has one of the best smackdown endings ever. “It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet, but if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned out cinder. Your choice is simple. Join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you.” I mean, c’mon.
I fear that the new ending will be ambiguous, or worse, the aliens will give us the key on how to be happy and jovial and excellent to each other.
Gag.
August 27th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
I don’t hate him because of B&T; I didn’t even see B&T. I hate him (in movies) because he’s a piece of wood. He was a piece of wood in “Dangerous Liaisons”. He was a piece of wood in “Much Ado About Nothing”. He was a stupid piece of wood in “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”. He was a piece of wood in the amazingly stupid movie “Little Buddha”. He was a piece of wood in “Devil’s Advocate”, and how a fiery (ahem) performance by Al Pacino (and having Charlize Theron play one’s wife) can’t wake an actor up, I can’t imagine. And I can’t even remember him in “Something’s Gotta Give”.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Or much worse & more likely, Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum will use a Macbook to infect Gort with a virus…
Gak.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Maybe in the new version, Helen Benson’s son Bobby will be played by Jack Black.
But seriously, if they were really clever, Sam Jaffe as Professor “1000 questions” Barnhardt and Frances “Aunt Bee” Bavier as Mrs. Barley the Landlady, both from the original, should be recreated via CGI. But they probably won’t even be in the new version.
August 28th, 2007 at 1:36 am
It seems totally unnecessary to remake it to me, but you can never tell until you watch the final product. Personally, I think they might have had more fun picking a less well-known flick, like “The 27th Day” or something.
And Campbell gets my vote too.
“Good, bad, I’m the guy with the invincible robot killing machine”
Something like that, anyway.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:18 am
Damon B. said:
“I think it could be much, MUCH worse.”
Yes, indeedy. I mean, they could have cast him as the lead in a remake of Dracula, where he had to speak with an English accent . . .
Oh.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:29 am
Also from Michael Rennie’s parting speech:
“There must be security for all, or no one is secure. This does not mean giving up any freedom, except the freedom to act irresponsibly.”
If more people behaved this way we wouldn’t have half the troubles we do.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:59 am
If it were me, I’d would totally write a remake where humanity kicks Klaatu and his fascist bully robot off the planet. I hated that movie.
Sorry, folks, but I do NOT get the gushing orgasms this film produces in my fellow SF fans. I shall henceforth refer to the film as “The Passion Of The Klaatu”.
August 28th, 2007 at 6:03 am
I kind of agree with “Quiet Desperation”,
I’ve never understood why it is always called the Best SF movie ever.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:30 am
It COULD be worse – they could’ve cast Tom Cruise:
YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. YOU WILL BECOME ONE WITH SCIENTOLOGY. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:09 am
I don’t know why this movie needs a remake. It will, for example, be tough to equal the original Bernard Herrmann score. Still, though, if they’re going to do it, shouldn’t they cast a real actor in the lead role?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Isn’t that Ringo Starr in the background? (It’s the cover of his Goodnight Vienna album)
August 28th, 2007 at 10:04 am
I rather think Charlie is the best ever SciFi movie, with Serenity a close second. But for it’s time, this was the first REAL SciFi movie, which addressed the interaction of advanced technology with human ethos.
I fail to see how a remake will improve it but will wait and see,,,
GAry 7
August 28th, 2007 at 11:41 am
I saw The Day the Earth Stood Still for the first time just about 2 months ago. I think it was the first movie I put in my Netflix queue. Unlike most early sci-fi movies, this one really stood up through time. I particularly liked the twist at the end. It really ended up not being about what I thought it was.
The main message of the movie needs to remain intact. Even in the 50′s this movie didn’t have an over-the-top sfx budget, and if they keep the fx simple, and focus on the story, they can make a good remake of this movie.
As for Keanu, he’s been kinda hit-and-miss. He was good in most of the movies mentioned above, but every now and then he just doesn’t seem to pull it off. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I can hear it now.
“There must be security for all, or no one is secure. This does not mean giving up any freedom, except the freedom to act irresponsibly. So be cool to each other, and party on dudes!â€
August 28th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Could be worse, they could have casted Owen Wilson in that role.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I love this line from the article:
“It also returns ‘The Matrix’ star to his strong suit in the sci-fi realm…”
I wouldn’t use the phrase “strong suit” to describe going for genre choices, particularly when those choices have included “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Chain Reaction”. Although – credit where it’s due – “A Scanner, Darkly” is a good genre movie, so we could hold out hope. Unless they sign Brett Ratner or Michael Bay to direct, or Akiva Goldsman to script. Oh… wait. The assigned director wrote and directed “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and wrote “Urban Legends: Final Cut”.
Wailing and gnashing of teeth to commence in three, two, one…
August 28th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
BA has it right. It doesn’t matter WHO they put in the role. This is 2007 and Hollywood has long since given up doing anything good and has followed Disney into the morass of mediocrity. They’ve already destroyed the best movie ever made (Flight of the Phoenix, with Jimmy Stewart), now they’re working on the best SF movie ever made.
Somebody needs to take ahold of Hollywood by its collective throat and politely kick some sense into them. The idea isn’t to take a good movie and remake it as crap. The idea (assuming you can’t come up with a good original script) is to take a crap movie and remake it as a *good* one.
Point aside1: whoever did the image cut/paste put Keanu’s head on Gort’s body, not Klaatu… is that a comment on Gort, or Keanu. Or just ignorance?
Point aside 2: TDTESS is the best SF movie for a number of reasons.
1) it’s – if not the first, then one of the first movies to portray aliens as little different from ourselves. No big bulgy brains. No huge boggly eyes. No tentacles.. just a guy with a robot and a space-going Hum-vee
2) It’s possibly the first movie where the aliens weren’t interested in invading, or perhaps in a new taste sensation.
3) the entire movie is self-consistent (something few movies manage)
4) it was (I’m just going to say “the first” because I’m lazy and tired of quallifiying) the first movie to even *suggest* we could all live in peace (whether you agree with the sentiment or not)
5) it was the first movie wherein the aliens didn’t kill every human in sight (including many who needed killing – he did land in DC, after all – congress is right there)
All in all, there are very few SF movies in the neighborhood (quality).
I agree, by the way – any movie can be improved by the simple addition of Bruce Campbell
and I disagree with Paul about Owen Wilson. While I’d not consider him Cary Grant or John Wayne, he’s certainly better than he’s shown in Shanghai (whatever) or Around the World in 80 Days. I was very impressed by his performance in “Behind Enemy Lines”, for instance.
and while I like Vin Diesel, can you see HIM as Klaatu?
“Klaatu Barada… NICKEL!”
Trapped in time. Surrounded by Evil. Low on gas…
August 28th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
The 27th Day huh?! Attention, all lingering Commies and ne’er-do-wells! Sit well outside the radius of the cineplex when the feature starts!
Oh well, they could borrow the US title for “Stranger From Venus”, the 1954 British remake (complete with Patricia Neal) of the “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, and call this production “Immediate Disaster”!
It’s like Cosmic, Man!
August 28th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Yeesh, can Forbidden Planet and Logan’s Run remakes be far behind?
This bugs me, but I knew it would happen eventually. Remaking this film combines studio heads’ two favorite things, making a ton of money and pissing off a lot of people.
And hell yes it could be worse. It could be Disney making it and one of the goobs from High School Musical could be cast as Klaatu.
My biggest complaint is now In conversations in which I mention this movie as one of the top ten sci-fi films of all time, I will have to clarify I mean the original version. I’d be more angry but I’d feel like a hypocrite since I just heard a remake of The Wizard of OZ may be happening, and I’m glad about that.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Bruce Almighty says: ” Also from Michael Rennie’s parting speech:
‘There must be security for all, or no one is secure. This does not mean giving up any freedom, except the freedom to act irresponsibly.’
If more people behaved this way we wouldn’t have half the troubles we do.
and
Quiet Desperation says: “If it were me, I’d would totally write a remake where humanity kicks Klaatu and his fascist bully robot off the planet. I hated that movie.”
This dichotomy of opinion is more common than you might think. That’s why I gave some extensive space to examining it in the TDtESS chapter in “The Saucer Fleet” (due out next spring from Apogee Books). It’s the first chapter of the book, of course, and now I have to decide if I want to rewrite the last section of the chapter to talk about this remake. I had to do that with “War of the Worlds” a couple years ago.
Also, if you really parse Klaatu’s “offer” to humanity, you’ll see that both sides are the same thing: either you join them and subject yourself to robotic tyranny, (i.e. they will incinerate the Earth if we violate our agreement and get out of line), or we don’t join them, and get incinerated anyway with a preemptive strike if we get out of line. There’s an extended quote by writer Bob Stephens in the chapter who discusses this far more elegantly than I could. I’d almost agree with QD on this point.
- Jack
August 29th, 2007 at 1:06 am
People are being killed every day in Iraq. Rich athletes are hanging dogs. Mortgage companies are struggling. Beauty pageant contestants are proving our worst fears about the education system. The administration is using the Old Testament as the Constitution.
But all this… all this pales in comparison to the real, true threat to America, nay, the world, which you have just revealed.
Up until now, I had hope for the future.
That hope is now gone.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:16 am
[...] remaking The Day the Earth Stood Still, one of the best science fiction movies of all [...]
August 29th, 2007 at 2:21 am
“No way, dudes! I know most excellent jujitsu!”
Klaatu released 2 brilliant albums in the 1970′s, then it all started going pear-shaped.
If they use the carpenters’ version of “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” as the theme song, I’m leaving.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:00 am
Yeesh, can Forbidden Planet and Logan’s Run remakes be far behind?
Logan’s Run is in planning.. it’s supposed to be more like the book(s) than the Michael York/Jenny Agutter movie.
J/P=?
August 29th, 2007 at 3:17 am
>>> Also, if you really parse Klaatu’s “offer†to humanity
I loved the whole “burned out cinder” thing. OK, so a few world leaders misbehave at some point in the future, so these aliens will MURDER SIX BILLION PEOPLE and EXTERMINATE AN ENTIRE MULTIBILLION YEAR OLD BIOSPHERE! People, pets, cows, ants, penguins… everything snuffed. Wow. Space Nazis!
If I were president in that world, I’d immediately order the construction of vast, secret underground spaceship construction yards in order to defend the homeworld.
And the scene where Christ^H^H^H^H^H^H Klaatu gets shot is so contrived.
OK, I’m facing a whole platoon of nervous, scared, relatively primitive and WELL ARMED beings. I’m going to walk up to them, say absolutely nothing, point a tube at them, and then make odd looking projections suddenly snap out. Yeah. That’s an excellent first contact protocol!
Crop circles and anal probes are the height of genius in comparison.
He should have been impressed he only got shot once by some green recruit in the back. In the real world we’d have to strain the remains for fingerprints.
Maybe I *will* write that remake and get it done as a graphic novel or something. Or I could do a web photo comic with still from the film and other sources. That might be fun until the cease and desist letter arrived. I could claim parody fair use, though.
>>> I had to do that with “War of the Worldsâ€
>>> a couple years ago.
Another movie that made me feel lonel, although in this case because I actually liked it.
And it had more things from the book than the older movie, although I like that one, too. I mean, they did the walking tripods! Complete with tentacles, cages full of captured humans and the big spooky foghorn sound. Right out of the book. How cool was that?
August 29th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Hm. Keanu cannot conviningly act any human emotion. Think about that for a moment.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
War of the Worlds was really good for the first 3/4′s… then I wanted Tom Cruise to just hurry up and die. I’ve never read the book nor did I see the original (that I remember at least), so I have nothing to compare it too, but I had trouble believing that he could have that many encounters with the aliens and live through it. I would have liked to have seen multiple characters that have only 1 or 2 scrapes with the aliens, and either survive or get snuffed. It would have been more tense and more real feeling. And the son walking up at the end. Please… the guy got crispified by that giant wall of flame. Fire’s hot… 2 large condos and 15 or so Duplexes in a community in Edmonton, AB burned down one morning, and houses a block away had siding melting off. If you were anywhere near that flame-wall you wouldn’t be walking home all happy afterwards.
As for Keanu… he’s a good actor when he doesn’t actually have to act. Like Bill and Ted for instance. Great movie… no acting needed.
August 31st, 2007 at 1:40 pm
They should make a remake of “2001″ with Jackie Chan.
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:27 am
[...] remaking The Day the Earth Stood Still, one of the best science fiction movies of all [...]
November 6th, 2007 at 11:11 am
UPDATE:
As much as I dislike Keanu (exceptions are the Bill and Ted movies and the MATRIX trilogy) I now have to consider that Jennifer Connelly is playing the Patricia Neil character. (ref: SciFi wire on SciFi Channel)
Woof…. I have been in love (def: lust) with Jennifer since LABYRINTH.
J/P=?
May 19th, 2008 at 4:51 am
This is BAD news!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:51 am
[...] many of us drooling sci-fiers know, the classic movie The Day the Earth Stood Still is being remade, with Keanu Reeves as Klaatu. I will reserve judgment on the movie until I see it; while many [...]
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
If you want to see a truly brilliant science fiction film, one that really does deserve a wider audience, try your best to track down a copy of “Simple Mortel” by Pierre Jolivet. It just kills me that this amazing film never got a major release here.