The Day the Earth Stopped

Blinded by the (formerly) not so bad rating, I decided to give it a chance.

At least it could have been some nice foreplay until "the one" with Keanu comes out. (pun intended) But it wasn't.

Where do I start ... bad BAD acting of almost everybody in the movie. Especially bad editing, sometimes there are cuts that have absolutely nothing to do with the current scene. Like near the beginning when you hear two people talking and at the same time see shots of people working silently on their computers. And don't get me started on the script.

Then there's the "logic factor" once again. 666 giant robots are landing on major cities on earth, yet there are NO people on the streets, no hysteria, not even simple curiosity. Everybody is rather calm, like this would happen every day. It's like we (the unfortunate viewers of the movie) get to see them, but nobody else, apart from the principal actors.

Like other people already mentioned, the superior aliens (in human form) are landing on earth. They have great powers and great knowledge. But a simple sedative knocks them out and an even simpler cell can hold them?

In general this *could* have been a nice variation on the original theme, that's why I gave it two instead of one points.

It may have been due to budget restrictions, or that they wanted to kick it out before the Keanu-movie. Either way, it did not do it any good.

As I said in the title: It's horrible in practically every way, don't waste your time on it.

Watch the original or wait for Keanu.

Some solid ideas save this from being a total washout.

Have to be honest and say that production values for the average 5 year old birthday party are higher than this - yet it is strangely watchable - it has moments that make you wonder what will happen next and how it will all end...

All in all if Sci-Fi wasn't your thing before you sat down to watch it won't be after either - but if any Sci-Fi is better than none at all you might be surprised at the fact that is is, despite a very low budget, actually watchable....

And it does kind of deal with apocalyptic themes head-on, all in all B minus.

Once again, the direct-to-DVD movie studio The Asylum blatantly rips off a major Hollywood movie not just with its title, but with its story. Of course, the movie being ripped off is "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Make no mistake, this is a BAD movie, but I found it a little better than Asylum's other mind-numbing movie. There are a few okay special effects sequences, which come across even better when you know this was a REAL low budget movie. And star/director Howell really does seem to be trying on both sides of the camera. While his performance ends up just being adequate, he does at least score a few points with his direction, giving the government base interiors and a few outdoor locations a moody, somewhat creepy feel. But ultimately, the low budget and the screenplay defeat his efforts. Much of the movie looks really cheap, with little to no set dressing and few extras. The opening of the movie is somewhat confusing, starting at what seems to be chapter two. But the biggest problems the movie has is its tone. There seems to be no sense of urgency or panic, and although the running time is just 85 minutes, it feels like it runs at least a half hour longer. It's sad that Howell and Judd Nelson's careers have gone so low that they are working for The Asylum. Won't someone else with real Hollywood power give them another chance?

there is really no reason to trash this film. Plot wise, its pretty solid with a nice tale. The effects are about what one would expect of a rather low budget film but they are OK. The cast is pretty solid, tho not Oscar worthy. The story revolves around a mysterious alien invasion that no one can figure out. There are religion undertones, and not so subtle ones at that. The aliens turn out to be powerful, God like entities that have come to determine the worth of the human race. Plan B it to knock the planet off its axis and destroy us. C Thomas Howell is fun to watch and he is a promising director. The movie moves along at a decent pace and never hits any truly boring stretches. I felt reasonably entertained and no, its far from the worse movie ever made like some sniffy Star Wars nerds commented here.

I've seen some bad movies in my days. I'm also quite a big sci-fi fan, so my tolerance level was high enough. But this is one of those movies I really DISCOURAGE people to watch. The performances are lame, the storyline is ancient history, the sets are lame, and, except SOME computer graphics, the movie is just pure crap. Everything is big and shiny (the cars, the actors), but I can't shake the feeling of a high-school medium-grade film project. Why do directors, producers, etc., feel the need to create such junk? I would REALLY love to see less (if any) such "movies"... Just donate the money to less fortunate children or throw a party or something, but stop wasting people lives and nerves!