The Day the Earth Stood Still

I saw the 2008 remake on Saturday night, and decided to watch and review the original film today.

This is not to be confused with MST3K experiment #422, The Day the Earth Froze. No Sampo, in other words.

The Day the Earth Stood Still. 1951 20th Century Fox.
Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier, Lock Martin
Director: Robert Wise
Buy The Day the Earth Stood Still at Amazon.

An alien named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) lands in a Washington D.C. park, declaring that he has come on a goodwill mission, only to get shot by a nervous soldier when he opens a small device. Gort the robot emerges from the spaceship to harmlessly disarm the U.S. soldiers. Klaatu is taken to a military hospital to recover, and that is where he reveals that he has a message for the entire world, but too many of the world's leaders are at odds, and probably wouldn't even agree on a meeting place. Klaatu then, after being told that he is in "protective custody", leaves the hospital and assumes the identity of "Mr. Carpenter", living among normal people to learn more about them.

After a meeting with Professor Jacob Barnhardt (Jaffe), Klaatu is offered a chance to convey his message to a group of scientists, saying that Earth will be eliminated if his message is rejected. Barnhardt asks for a "little demonstration" of Klaatu's powers as a warning, which he does the following day, neutralizing electric power (except for critical systems like hospitals and planes in flight) worldwide for 30 minutes.

The film ends with Klaatu getting assassinated, revived, and telling the assembled scientists that humanity's penchant for violence and its baby steps into space have caused concern among the other spacefaring worlds. The aliens have also created more robot enforcers like Gort, who are capable of dealing with anything. Klaatu warns the people of Earth that they can either abandon warfare and peacefully join other worlds, or be destroyed, making sure to emphasize that the "decision rests with you".

Yes, it's completely different than the 2008 remake. Recommended, though.