The big end-of-the-year science fiction blockbuster from Twentieth Century Fox receives the fancy Blu-Ray treatment in this deluxe edition. It's almost too good for the movie inside.
THE FILM As I stated in
my initial review in December of last year, the original
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL was one classic that was begging to be remade. The original film was slow, clunky, and preachy, although for its time it was a groundbreaking piece of science fiction art. Like
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS,
TDTESS has something meaningful to say about human society and tendencies that can stand the re-visitation every generation. And while this film attempts some bold science fiction concepts, it ultimately fails due to a poorly-constructed script, some limp and annoying performances, and some truly awful and uninspired special effects. It's truly a shame, because underneath the obvious and typical studio hackery, there are some terrific ideas gasping for air. It just doesn't work.
THIS EDITION Fox has lavished three discs on this spectacular "special edition" Blu-Ray version of this film. It's truly breathtaking.
DISC ONE On this disc you get the 2008 version of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL in a wonderfully crisp transfer. In fact, it's almost too good, revealing the crappy special effects in even more detail than was available theatrically. Ugh... Then there are several key extra features to this disc. Most revealing about the production is the commentary track by screenwriter
David Scarpa, who shines a light on the troubled process of bringing this script to the screen. Throughout his dialogue, you can see the meddling fingerprints of studio people and star
Keanu Reeves, who clearly do not have an eye for coherent storytelling. Scarpa had a vision of the film as a type of
2001-meets-
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS type of science fiction film, a vision that was ultimately lost to the studio's insistence on creating a tentpole film. As usual, it was a bad idea. Besides a few making-of featurettes, there is a magnificent little film included here called
WATCHING THE SKIES: IN SEARCH OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE. It is almost worth the price of the Blu-Ray all by itself. Crammed with information and terrific interviews, the film chronicles man's attempt to contact or find alien life. It is truly inspired and inspiring, easily touching that sense of wonder and hopefulness inherent in our desire to reach the stars. Awesome.
DISC TWO With this disc, Fox provides what is quickly becoming standard practice: a digital copy of the film to use on Portable Media Players. Since I have none, I cannot attest to the quality of it ... but I'm sure it's top notch.
DISC THREE Here's where it gets really great! Disc THREE is the brand new Blu-Ray version of the 1951 classic! The film has never looked better, and it is a perfect (although obvious) companion to the 2008 film. Watching it again, the classic does suffer from the symptoms of its age - the paranoia, the slow pacing, and the contrived situations. However, it remains a pioneer among science fiction films for its thoughtfulness and iconic imagery. GORT ain't bad, either.
OVERALL An amazing collection for a fairly disappointing and unremarkable science fiction film. While I can't wholly recommend the film due to some serious problems, this excellent Blu-Ray edition almost makes it a must-have for science nerds and fans of science fiction. Kudos to Fox for doing it right.