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Title: The Day The Earth Stood
Still (2008): 3 – Disc Special Edition, Media: Blu-ray Disc
Languages: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound and French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin Language Subtitles
Extra Value Features: Audio Commentary By Screenwriter David Scarpa, Picture-In-Picture BONUS VIEW: Klaatu’s Unseen Artifacts, Build Your Own Gort Interactive Experience, Deleted Scenes, Re-imagining The Day Documentary, Unleashing Gort Featurette, Watching The Skies: In Search Of Extraterrestrial Life Featurette, The Day The Earth Was “Green” Featurette, Still Galleries (Concept Art, Storyboards, Concept Notes), Enhanced For D-Box Motion Control Systems, Digital Copy For Portable Media Devices, Original 1951 Movie On Blu-ray Disc, MPAA Rating - 2008 Version: PG-13, MPAA Rating - Original 1951 Version: G, Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
I read that there is a remake of The Man Who Fell To Earth in production and boy if he did not already play Klaatu in the 2008 remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still; I think Keanu Reeves would have been perfect to step into the role made famous in the 1970s by David Bowie. Keanu steps into the role made famous by Michael Rennie in what is essentially more or less a Christ metaphor complete with miracles including a resurrection, walking on water, a gospel about the planet and humanity’s place in creation if it wishes to continue and a big finish or sacrifice of sorts. Rennie had appeared in both Fox’s The Robe and Demetrius And The Gladiators so he was no stranger to playing messianic or rather prophetic characters and neither is Keanu, who literally played a messianic like character in The Matrix Trilogy and also portrayed Siddhartha in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha, so he fits into this version rather well. There are a few plot holes that don’t make sense and actions that seem to contradict each other too. Why would Klaatu take the word of a human scientist (John Cleese stepping into Sam Jaffe’s role from the original) over one of his own kind with basically the same message? Alas sometimes one has to put these things aside and just enjoy the movie and especially on TV The Day The Earth Stood Still is very enjoyable, but I’m sorry to say that the 1951 original is still superior and in my opinion did not need to be remade. Fortunately the Blu-ray Disc Edition features the complete 1951 film in full high definition glory on a bonus Blu-ray Disc exclusively packaged within their set along with a DVD containing a digital copy of the 2008 remake for portable devices. Please note that this extra disc contains only the original 1951 feature and none of the extras included on the edition sold separately.
I think one actually appreciates the remake more if they see the original because it is not at all a bad film. For sci-fi fans remaking The Day The Earth Stood Still is like remaking Gone With The Wind, The Adventures Of Robin Hood, or Casablanca. You can try it and might even succeed, but to this day is there anyone who doesn’t imagine Robin Hood as Errol Flynn instead of Kevin Costner? Reeves does better at Klaatu than Costner does as Robin Hood, but he lacks a certain warmth of character Rennie brought to the role while still retaining the ability to deliver his ultimatum at the end of the film in a serious and for some, chilling manner.
Outside of providing the 1951 original, which is also available separately with extra value features of it’s own from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, the Blu-ray Disc containing the 2008 remake includes a muted yet sharp 1080p resolution (where available) high definition widescreen (2.35:1) presentation with a well mixed ambient English DTS Digital HD MA 5.1 Surround Soundtrack as well as French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired coupled with Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin Language Subtitles encoded as options.
Extra value material includes a screenwriter’s audio commentary track coupled with a picture-in-picture track and consumers can also access much of these features with older Blu-ray Disc players via the Klaatu’s Unseen Artifacts feature. There are collections of featurettes covering various aspects of the motion picture from building a Gort for the 21st Century to shorts about our environment as well as SETI. Various still galleries and the theatrical trailer are also included in this 3-Disc Set.
The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008): 3 – Disc Special Edition is available now on Blu-ray Disc at retailers on and offline courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
© Copyright 2009 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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