The Day the Earth Stood Still | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

21% Tomatometer 195 Reviews 27% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings

Klaatu (Keanu Reeves), an extraterrestrial visitor to planet Earth, becomes the herald of upheaval on a global scale. As the world's governments and scientists race to understand what is happening and how to stop it, Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) and her stepson come to understand the chilling ramifications behind Klaatu's statement that he is a "friend to the Earth."

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The Day the Earth Stood Still

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Critics Consensus

Heavy on special effects, but without a coherent story at its base, The Day the Earth Stood Still is subpar re-imagining of the 1951 science-fiction classic.

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Critics Reviews

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The Day the Earth Stood Still | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review The Day the Earth Stood Still | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Christine Champ Film.com Rated: C- May 6, 2011 Full Review The Day the Earth Stood Still | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Peter Travers Rolling Stone Rated: 1/4 Feb 3, 2011 Full Review The Day the Earth Stood Still | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The computer animation and picture quality is significantly cleaner and more impressive than the low-budget, man-in-a-foam-suit costuming of the 1951 classic. Rated: 3/10 Nov 28, 2020 Full Review The Day the Earth Stood Still | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com If you look past the fairly cool special effects you're going to see a film at war with itself. Rated: 1.5/4.0 Sep 5, 2020 Full Review The Day the Earth Stood Still | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Mattie Lucas The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) Doesn't have a single practical reason for its existence. Rated: 2/4 Jun 6, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ashley C Great cast but lacking in substance. Writing was terrible. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/25/24 Full Review Lucas t It would get 4 stars if the effects weren't bad. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/15/24 Full Review David W The original is an all time classic of sci-fi cinema. This remake, taken in isolation, is far from terrible but it lacks the impact of the original despite it doing may things in an original way. This is mainly, in no small part, certainly in my case, to being so familiar with the concept of the original that it lacks that sense of surprise and wonder. It's uneven in terms of its acting though. I know what Keanu was aiming for in his performance but its a miscalculation that comes off as too lifeless, detached and flat to be interesting and Jayden Smith is so cringingly annoying that he almost single handedly ruins the entire movie. On the other hand Connelly anchors things well, Cleese delivers a good turn and the supporting cast are good. The special effects are effective although the decision to change Gort was a design misfire in my opinion. The story tweaks certainly contemporise matters with a global warming message - for better or worse. A frustratingly near miss in too many areas but certainly still worth a watch despite its flaws. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/09/24 Full Review Regina P I just think the theme for this is overplayed: destroy the humans before they destroy the planet. We've seen enough of this same message. If there is some entity out there that is threatening to destroy mankind, then Hollywood just needs to spit it out. Humans will not get the message through a bunch of picture shows. It's just entertainment. And only the rich have the ability to destroy the planet, anyhow. Send the elites a direct message. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/05/24 Full Review alan g Pale immitation of the original. Watch the Michael Rennie version. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/20/24 Full Review Calvin T No idea why there's low ratings......all around great movie Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Scott Derrickson Director Keanu Reeves Klaatu Jennifer Connelly Dr. Helen Benson Kathy Bates Regina Jackson Jaden Smith Jacob Benson John Cleese Professor Barnhardt
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Synopsis Klaatu (Keanu Reeves), an extraterrestrial visitor to planet Earth, becomes the herald of upheaval on a global scale. As the world's governments and scientists race to understand what is happening and how to stop it, Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) and her stepson come to understand the chilling ramifications behind Klaatu's statement that he is a "friend to the Earth."

Director
Scott Derrickson

Producer
Gregory Goodman, Paul Harris Boardman, Erwin Stoff

Screenwriter
David Scarpa

Production Co
3 Arts Entertainment

Rating
PG-13 (Violence|Some Sci-Fi Disaster Images)

Genre
Sci-Fi

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 2008, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013

Box Office (Gross USA)
$79.4M

Runtime
1h 44m
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