George Taylor Rightfully called one of the greatest Science Fiction films ever, and certainly the #1 to come out of the 50's, this is well acted, well directed and has a great story. Unlike the incredibly lame remake, which will not be mentioned again, this is watchable again and again. Featuring state of the art effects for it's time, and one of the great robots of SF cinema history, Klattu and Gort are, at least among science fiction fans, icons. Even Ringo Starr payed homage to this film using a scene from it as a cover on his album. Brilliantly directed by Robert Wise, who also did the Andromeda Strain, Klattu a visitor from an alien alliance has come here with a warning (one of the few things the garish posters got right). He is a soft spoken man, but Michael Rennie gives him a sense of gravitas. Patricia Neal is great as the heroine who basically saves humanity from it's own foolishness. Not an alien invasion film per se, it is a movie about a first contact and even today, is still watchable.

jdhb-768-61234 Taken as what it is, a science fiction film with a message, of the early 1950s, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' is a true classic. It isn't overly dramatic and its pace is fairly slow, but the way in which it portrays the frightened over-reaction of authority to any perceived external threat resonates throughout history and right up to the current day.Klaatu, a well-meaning humanoid alien, lands on earth with a message but is met with instant hostility before he can deliver it as the authorities assume a position of 'whatever you don't understand must be evil / dangerous'. As the story progresses, Klaatu befriends a young boy and his mother, and gets to see a famous scientist whom he finds more receptive than the fearful and unreasoning military. However, and somewhat inevitably, fear of the unknown prevails and Klaatu is shot and killed while attempting to make his way to a meeting that he has arranged with important scientific figures.His body recovered by his giant robot, Klaatu is brought back to life to deliver his warning to the people of earth, effectively a warning about being too quick to pick up arms and to become a danger to others. He departs leaving it to the people of earth to decide whether to continue on their current path and risk the devastating wrath of an alien alliance with far greater power, or to seek a new way.As Klaatu, Michael Rennie could hardly be less threatening, admittedly unlike his robot, Gort, played by the 7'4" Lock Martin; a bit clunky, yes, but unnerving all the same and pretty terrifying in 1951. Bobby Benson as the boy who sees nothing frightening about Klaatu, though he doesn't know his true identity, and Patricia Neal who displays calm reason even when she does, provide fine support as does Sam Jaffe as the Einstein-like genius whom Klaatu contacts in an effort to circumvent the highly suspicious authorities.This is a fine film, simple and well acted and with a powerful message for a world in which nuclear weapons were still new. To give it 10/10 is a no-brainer.

dncorp After many Movies depicting Aliens as Monsters that only wanted to take over Earth and Enslave Humanity, a Strong fear and extreme paranoia during the 1950s of the U.S.S.R. (Russians), The Day The Earth Stood Still 1951 would become one of the Best Science Fiction Movies of History.The idea of the Use of Atomic (Nuclear) Energy for anything other than Atomic (Nuclear) Weapons was as alien a concept as Gort (Advanced Robotics, Galactic "Policeman" with Advanced Artificial Intelligence).The Special Effects of The Day The Earth Stood Still 1951 are still very convincing. Especially Gort's directed energy weapon and the results, that would be similar to later 1953 War of the Worlds (Color) brief illumination of the target then gone.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by Robert Wise, with a screenplay by Edmund North that was based on a story by Harry Bates, this above average sci-fi thriller was added to the National Film Registry in 1995.The drama, which begins with a flying saucer landing in Washington D.C., involves an alien visitor named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) who, along with his bodyguard robot Gort (Lock Martin), has come to Earth shortly after our World had entered the nuclear age to advise us about peace and warn us about our own destructive aggression.Predictably, Klaatu is shot which, though it's somewhat accidental, causes Gort to exhibit his powerful ability (a heat ray) to annihilate our soldiers, their weapons and tanks. Klaatu is taken to a hospital where he recovers and then escapes, adopting the name Carpenter to walk anonymously among 'us' and learn more about Earth and its residents.Through widow Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), and her son Bobby (Billy Gray), Carpenter gets a sense of human nature which includes kindness, but events eventually lead to another confrontation and Helen's utterance of the classic line "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!".Hugh Marlowe plays Helen's boyfriend Tom Stevens and Sam Jaffe plays Professor Jacob Barnhardt, the brilliant scientist who (naturally) seeks greater understanding. A young Stuart Whitman is recognizable (in his second movie role) as an uncredited Army sentry.#82 on AFI's 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.