The Day the Earth Stood Still
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: December 12, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
20
Negative:
7
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireHelen O'Hara
A remake that does not disgrace the original, this is sufficiently different to stand alone and just as relevant in its concerns – as well as succeeding (arguably better) as a thriller. And after this performance, are we sure that Keanu Reeves is really human? Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
Like the big shiny sphere at its center, the film is fairly pretty, but there's no real sense that there's anything inside it. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
For most of the way this ecofriendly fantasy is pleasantly clunky, and Reeves, whose expressive range here is slim to none, is perfectly cast as the alien. Read full review
50
Village VoiceLuke Y. Thompson
The problem here is that there are no big ideas. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
All this is presented in an expensive, good-looking film that is well-made by Scott Derrickson, but to no avail. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Keanu Reeves plays Klaatu, confining his usual two-and-a-half-note vocal range to half that. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Although the new version, which stars Keanu Reeves, is likely to make audiences pine for the meta-irony of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," it's not a complete failure. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The story, an updated version of the 1951 classic about a portentous extraterrestrial visit, feels musty and derivative, and not only because it's a remake. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Something has been lost in the translation, and it's not just the script. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
As a message movie, it's preachy without being serious; for an action movie, there's a lot of racket but not much fun. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
One of the big problems here is that, despite much exposition, the nature of Klaatu's mission on Earth isn't at all clear. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It lacks the simple elegance and intelligence of the earlier film, and employs special effects and pointless action scenes to replace passages of dialogue. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The opening stretch, when the visitor arrives on earth and blithely dresses down mankind, is great fun. But screenwriter David Scarpi has drained away much of the sentiment. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Despite the best efforts of stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, this new "Day" is tired and corny. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineCammila Albertson
Pretty good as science fiction thrillers go, but sadly, there isn't much more to say about it. Read full review
50
Film ThreatScott Mendelson
A 'so-so' movie. It's not particularly good, but it's competent and more or less successful in its goals. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The original Day the Earth Stood Still had a paranoid poetry that lifted the audience up even as it warned the world to come together. This one is so dour it just comes off as a scolding. Read full review
40
VarietyTodd McCarthy
This botched remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" seriously dishonors the seriously fine 1951 sci-fi landmark on which it's based. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
The film's major action sequences are never exciting, and even the now-requisite destruction of New York feels lazy. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Any movie that awards a former Monty Python cast member a Nobel Prize in anything cannot be all bad. And The Day the Earth Stood Still could be worse. Read full review
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