Mommy Brain

(The Day the Earth Stood Still was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

Renowned scientist Dr. Helen Benson finds herself face to face with an alien called Klaatu, who travels across the universe to warn of an impending global crisis. When forces beyond Helen’s control treat the extraterrestrial as a hostile and deny his request to address the world’s leaders, she and her estranged stepson Jacob quickly discover the deadly ramifications of Klaatu’s claim that he is “a friend to the Earth.” Now Helen must find a way to convince the entity who was sent to destroy us that mankind is worth saving–but it may be too late. The process has begun.

I love science fiction movies – always have. I love suspending my disbelief and entering a completely different world. I like observing how humans might act in different possible futures. So I’m a pretty easy-to-please audience when it comes to sci-fi movies. I know that The Day the Earth Stood Still didn’t get great reviews, but I still found it worth watching. It wasn’t fantastic, but it was an entertaining evening.

The cast is great. I like Keanu Reeves in most things, and this character didn’t provide much of a challenge, since he stays pretty stoic throughout the film. Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates were also wonderful, but the best performance – and biggest surprise – of the film was Jaden Christopher Smith, Will Smith’s son. He was great in The Pursuit of Happyness, but I couldn’t help but wonder how much of that was because he was reacting to his own father – and would he be able to do it again in a different film. Well, he can, and he did.

If you’re extremely discerning or picky in your sci-fi viewing tastes, this might not be the film for you. If, like me, though, you like to be entertained and aren’t too picky, you should give it a try.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is available now on DVD.