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A spacecraft makes its way towards the earth, it's like a saucer with a rounded, curving girth, when it lands, a man descends, he comes in peace, wants to make friends, and then he's shot, because of difference, we're averse. A robot then appears and shows its power, disintegrating weapons, with its glower, but the alien assailed, gets the giant to curtail, though the sentiment is clear for all to see. It's not too long before the foreigner has gone, assimilating to a world gone wrong, finding out about mankind, finding out how we're so blind, to trajectories that lead to our extinction.

I don't think the message is any different all these years later, just more pertinent.

I love a good sci-fi movie as much as the next person, and I do have some favourites of the genre, Alien, Blade Runner, Empire Strikes Back, Metropolis and 2001:A Space Odyssey are wonderful movies, and like The Day the Earth Stood Still they not only have an influence on other movies of the genre and in general but also timeless classics in many more ways than one. The Day The Earth Stood Still has been a favourite since I first saw it and I still at 18 hold it in great regard. It still looks wonderful for its time, the effects and designs are wonderfully composed if purposefully simple and the cinematography is exemplary. Bernard Hermann's score is tense and wondrous, the script is deft, Robert Wise's direction is superb and while it has some solemn philosophical aspects and some heavy-handed symbolism neither of which are flaws in any way the story is compelling from start to finish. The acting is also impressive, Lock Martin is good as giant Gort but the real revelation is Michael Rennie's authoritative, dignified and sympathetic Klatu. Overall, a sci-fi masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Up-front: anyone who low-rated this does not understand what science fiction is about, at all. To those who judged this harshly: You can go back to watching Transformers; you're in the wrong theater. Such people should be tied to the back side of a Bantha with tummy problems. ;D

Okay, on to the serious review: Who doesn't recognize the term "Gort, Klaatu barada nicto"? This film set the bar for so many films to come, in an age when monsters were a guy in a gorilla suit and a space helmet, giant ants were terrorizing a city, and another guy in a rubber suit was stomping on a miniature Tokyo. Among that, we suddenly find a movie with actual meaning, a moral, a great plot and story-line, decent acting, an honest-to-goodness valid warning-- and one of the best robot presentations EVER.

Was it perfect? No. I don't know as I've ever seen a perfect film. Were there flaws? Sure. What do people expect? It's the overall cinematic presentation that is the thing here-- the experience of a movie capturing the audience and making them say, "Wow". Relatively few films have accomplished that over the decades. This film did.

The special effects for that day were superb. The modern-day remake didn't come close to the quality of this 1951 film. The story has stood the test of time and is even more applicable today that it was back then (only now we can add the destruction of our own world to the mix).

This movie is as close to pristine as a movie can get (for that day) , and proudly takes its place among non-sci-fi classics-- and even sci fi classics that came later. Had the HUGO awards existed in '51 I have no doubt this film would have taken top slot.

When I first saw this movie (on television circa 1957)I was just a young child four years of age. I remember sitting on my father's lap and watched the whole thing through my fingers as I held my hands over my eyes for protection (yeah...right!). Gort and Klaatu were magnificent space travelers...and with a message of peace during a time that the Soviets and U.S. were deep into the 'cold war'. Very timely! Very scary! It spooked me then and I still get a chill watching the movie today. But, it's one of the classics that will live on forever! It's message is as meaningful today as it was back in the 50's. Maybe we should all watch it again and take notes.........

It's not unfair initially to dismiss "The Day the Earth Stood Still" as sci-fi pulp from an era full of it, but the film's anti-war message given the Cold War context it was released in makes it nothing short of a classic. Its commercial exterior featuring posters with Gort the space robot pales in comparison to the social/diplomatic values it preaches at its core. Sure, it's not all that suspenseful or riveting for science-fiction, but it represents one of the first pop culture films to reflect important moral values.

Borrowing from the lucrative UFO alien movies before it, TDTESS begins with a flying saucer landing in the Washington mall and producing an alien with a human appearance named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) and his robot protector Gort, a goofy-looking man in a shiny suit with the ability to disintegrate anything with a beam from his eye. For starters, Klaatu is greeted by military bullets that destroy a gift he intended for the president that would give us the ability to study life on other planets. That's the example of the strict satirical tone taken by writer Edmund H. North (based on the short story by Harry Bates).

Despite humorous special effects and the cheesy running and screaming you see in pulp alien invasion movies, TDTESS manages to expose many of our flaws including our fear of the unknown and our propensity to resort to violence. It warns of the dangers of nuclear energy and outwardly scorns war. In the beginning years of the Cold War, such a message getting out to the public is an accomplishment that must be lauded.

TDTESS isn't only good for its messages, though it certainly is what makes the film stand out. Rennie is a terrific Klaatu. He's intriguing, friendly but also very frank, winning our sympathies but still convincing us of his other-worldly nature. The relationship he develops with the young Bobby Benson (Billy Gray) is the film's most interesting subplot next to Klaatu helping a scientist out with an equation that will lead to interplanetary travel.

Rarely does a film become a classic solely because of its message, but TDTESS certainly does. It's so frank, but speaks such an undeniable truth that in the form of cheaply made science- fiction, resonates in a way that straighter films can't. That's the beauty of the genre and why TDTESS is its first classic. ~Steven C

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"Klaatu barada nikto!"

When it comes to the Sci-Fi sub-genre of "Alien Visitation" flicks, I honestly don't think that they get much more intelligent and thought-provoking as this sparkling gem from 1951.

If there are other such "Alien Visitation" flicks out there that do promote this satisfying level of genuine intelligence in their stories, then I would sure like to hear about them. (Please feel free to message me with their titles)

Impressively directed by Robert Wise, The Day The Earth Stood Still (TDTESS) actually did manage to deliver quite a seamless and evocative blend of the ordinary melded very nicely with the fantastic.

This is the sort of motion picture that really gives the viewer the pleasant opportunity of actually getting to know (and, maybe, even like) its characters.

Even the 10 year-old kid, Bobby Benson, was a likable sort. And, believe me, I usually loathe kids in movies. They almost never fail to be totally irksome and nothing but spoiled, little, snot-nosed brats.

Yet, here in TDTESS, the young Billy Gray's portrayal of Bobby was very much like a literal breath of fresh air. This youthful, wide-eyed actor really seemed to understand his character and make him interesting.

Anyways - Traveling at warp-speed (that's 4000 mph.) and taking a 5-month, 250 million mile journey to get here, TDTESS's story has Klaatu, the very distinguished and cool-headed alien, arriving in Washington, DC in order to deliver his dire, top-priority message to all of us naughty-naughty Earthlings.

After being observed for many years by other outer-planetary civilizations, it has been determined that (through the discovery of atomic power) we Earthlings, with our unbridled destructiveness, have become a very-very serious threat to the overall peace and security of the other planets which exist in this endlessly vast universe.

Klaatu must now address all nations of the Earth and somehow convince one and all to cease with these violent ways, or else face some mighty devastating consequences.

You can bet that if Klaatu's firm words of warning can't induce us Earthlings to reconsider our ways, then, believe me, Gort, the all-powerful robot, definitely has his own special brand of persuasion that doesn't take "No" for an answer.

Trust me - In spite of its flaws, TDTESS is, without question, a classic Sci-Fi/Thriller that's really worth its weight in gold.

And "Klaatu barada nikto!" to you, too!

P.S. - This film's 2008 remake was an absolutely despicable desecration of the highest order.

It's not everyday that a flying saucer lands on the White House lawn. That's exactly what happened in "The Day the Earth Stood Still," then emerged a humanoid figure going by the name of Klaatu (Michael Rennie). Following him, after he was shot by a U.S. soldier, was a large robot made of an unearthly impregnable metal that shot disintegrating rays from a visor where eyes would normally be. It was an impressive display of strength and power, but what could these aliens want.

We learn that Klaatu has been sent to Earth as a warning. Earthlings can fight amongst themselves all they want, but the universe is growing smaller and their aggression may seep out beyond Earth's borders onto other planets. That will not be tolerated.

TDTESS is a cool sci-fi flick. I saw the '08 remake with Keanu Reeves, yet I didn't have the same takeaways from that movie. Being that the original was shortly after WWII, its message was extremely pertinent. TDTESS is not going to scare anybody, but it is thought provoking and somewhat suspenseful. I say, take off your 2021 hat for a spell and enjoy a film from 1951.

Just saw this for the first time and was very impressed. So as not to repeat the praise everyone else has heaped on it (which I by and large agree with, I must say the lack of plot flaws was amazing for a fifties sci-fi movie. Characters actually act and make decisions in a recognizable way, not with sci-fi movie logic. During the montage where the Earth's power is disrupted I couldn't help but think "No death!? But what about all the hospitals and people relying on machines to keep them alive" but it was explained in an internally consistent way instead of ignored. One complaint though. Flying saucer in the middle of DC, dangerous robot, tons of spectators, and a hunted alien who might be trying to get back to the ship. And the Army only posts TWO GUARDS at night. Riiiight..... Still, I'll give them that one for free.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is often called one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. More truthfully, though, all it has really done is achieved cult status despite notable shortcomings.

First and foremost are the storytelling techniques. Classic dramatic techniques such as foreshadowing are virtually absent. Robert Wise's direction lacks any semblance of suspense. Instead, he uses the same plodding pace that doomed Star Trek - The Motion Picture 28 years later. The cinematography is unimaginative, even by the standards of the '50s. It often feels like nothing so much as a filmed stage play given the dominance of flat, medium shots. Repetitive scenes like group after group of pensive people clustered about radios weren't considered good film-making even back then, and it's downright boring today. Bernard Herrmann's theremin-laced score was peculiarly devoid of mood.

The main characters were thinly drawn, and some -- including Bobby and Tom -- disappear without a trace before the climax, leaving absolutely no closure. Michael Rennie did a passable job as Klaatu, but Patricia Neal simply could not redeem the cardboard cutout of Helen. Sam Jaffe is straight out of Central Casting as the wild-haired, pipe-smoking, Einsteinoid scientific genius. The military men couldn't have been any more stereotypical. The generals were all gung ho and the soldiers were too stupid to open fire on Gort when he first started disintegrating artillery and later when he escaped the block of plastic; they were simply cannon fodder. The wardrobe department must have had an easy time on this shoot. Every man is wearing either a suit and tie or a uniform, no matter if he's supping at home or working for the office. Maybe this was wishful thinking even in that era, that men should be nattily attired at all times. Today, it's merely preposterous.

The story had its share of major blunders. Some were based on outdated science, like the statement that Venus could support humanoid life. Others were just plain silly. Klaatu, having already been shot early in the movie, still tries to run from armed soldiers. He could freeze the Earth in its tracks, but has nothing for remote communication with Gort or his ship, needing instead a flashlight. It was never followed up on that since Klaatu was perfectly human, was there some relation between his race and humanity. And there was far too much exposition -- we're told too much rather than shown.

Should this film be remade? Certainly the effects could be improved. War of the Worlds and Forbidden Planet, released two and five years later, respectively, showcased what was the true state of the art for the '50s. Today's digital effects could easily add so much more to the story than Fred Sersen's optical effects of a half century ago, for instance a truly frightening Gort. But effects alone don't make a good movie, as the 1998 dud Godzilla proved.

A new multiracial cast would be an improvement on the sanitized and idealized whitebread cast that the pre-civil rights times necessitated. Not only should minorities be represented -- for Klaatu's warning affects them, too -- but so should women in roles greater than homemaker and secretary.

The script would have to be rewritten from the ground up, for the main premise is fatally flawed. Klaatu threatens the extinction of mankind -- indeed, of all life on Earth, including the innocent animals who have no knowledge of our sins nor power to stop them -- if any aggression were visited upon our interplanetary neighbors. The 'barbaric' leading societies of Earth had forsworn the use of genocide as a form of warfare decades before this movie was made. Even the thought of targeting unarmed civilians as retribution for aggression is morally repulsive to rational citizens of the modern world. Nuking Serbia for the actions of Slobodan Milosevic is unthinkable. How could a supposedly more advanced "civilization" justify such a sweeping atrocity? The concept of collateral damage is already falling out of favor with the American public. A contemporary script might have Klaatu realizing the error of his ways after being suitably chastised on his apparent lack of humanity, humility and compassion by the female lead. Never mind how our primitive weapons could have threatened their technologically superior civilizations. His single ship had the power to neutralize our entire planet and was impervious to any force the Army could muster. Gort himself was said to be able to singlehandedly reduce Earth to a smoking cinder. Surely at the first sign of attack, either could effortlessly dispose of a few pitiful nuclear missiles. Thereafter, it would have been child's play to interdict all future spaceflight until the human race matured or capitulated, especially when backed by the might of a fleet of ships and Gorts. All without the loss of a single life, human or otherwise. Compare it with Forbidden Planet, made only six years later. That, too, had the message that man was inherently flawed and could not be trusted with immense power. But it never took the heavyhanded approach of threatening total destruction. It just had a single genius who simply said man was not ready for the tremendous knowledge of the Krell. That is much more accurate and true to life. We aren't and may never be worthy of such power. But how realistic is it to turn us against each other, trying to keep any rogue nation or terrorists from inciting the wrath of Gort? Couldn't that run the risk of creating more conflict here on Earth just to protect Klaatu's people? If a group thinks themselves martyrs and believes they will be elevated to heaven after death anyway, how could you stop them from bringing death upon all of us, short of killing every last one of them?

The thinking man's science fiction movie? Hardly. For now, that honor falls to Contact, starring Jodie Foster, a much deeper look into humanity and the human condition.

This was one of the first sci-fi movies I ever saw and one by which I gage all others. Before there was 'Star Wars' there was 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. It brought together all that later sci-fi movies strive for. A solid story, believable characters and, for the day, great special FX. It was an examination of society at the time and the racial prejudice that permeated all levels of life. It studies mans fear of the unknown and the violent reaction it produces even today, and how the love of one person can change the course of events for the better. It's a movie that can still stand on its own even by today's standards and should never be remade.

But that's just my opinion.

OK. Maybe that's dramatic, but it's true. I'm not nearly as old as this film and the first time I saw it, I was a young child and impressionable as only young children are. I can honestly say that every alien encounter I've experienced through movies, t.v. shows and literature has been measured against The Day The Earth Stood Still, and most have come up short. I credit the film's depiction of human/alien interactions with my present-day feelings about how people should treat each other - within communities and groups and how we often fail in our dealings with outsiders. I think the movie made the young girl I was think about issues that would otherwise have gone unexamined for many years to come, and in those years I would have become a different person. The effect was deeply profound, and remains so even 30 years after my first screening. That said, it is still entertaining, a joy to revisit. There are no expensive, hi-tech special effects that look great in teasers, but do nothing for the plot. It's very straight forward, honest, pure. It's emotional and intellectual instead of the typical shoot-em-up space battle films that are today's norm. And while I enjoy a good explosion now and then, the change of pace is refreshing.

1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still" easily ranks right up there as being one of my all-time favorite "Alien Visitation" films in the entire history of Hollywood SyFy movie-making.

IMO - Regardless that this vintage gem is now seventy years old, it still holds up surprisingly well (even with its old-school visual effects).

For its time - I really think that this film's message is actually quite a startling one. In a nutshell, it tells us Earthlings that our unbridled destructiveness has become a serious threat to the overall peace and security of all of the other planets that exist in this endlessly vast universe.

Yes. That communication certainly provides us humans with some honest-to-goodness food for thought.

After WWII and the invention of the atomic bomb, people in the 50's were looking for strong leaders who could command moral authority. Enter General Eisenhower, who would become a two-term U.S. President; "Father Knows Best", with its stern but loving father figure; and the iron-fisted biblical epic: "The Ten Commandments".

Enter, too, "The Day The Earth Stood Still", a 1951 sci-fi classic soaked in images of authority ... the police, the military, and the tall, stern, Moses-like figure from another world, Klaatu, who lectures us on the folly of nuclear war. It is, I believe, this pacifist message emanating from strength that explains the film's enduring popularity.

Noble as the message is, what about its cinematic vehicle? Visually and musically, the film is appropriately frigid and forbidding. Leo Tover's noirish B&W lighting and unobtrusive camera work, combined with Bernard Herrmann's score and the eerie theramin sounds all work in concert to convey a mood of Orwellian severity and other worldly coldness.

But the script is disappointing. This is a very talky film, which dilutes its effectiveness as sci-fi. The dialogue seems stodgy, canned, uninspired. Example: "attention zone 5, attention zone 5, yellow cab moving north ... man and woman in backseat; get license number and report ... deploy all units according to Plan B immediately" (well, at least it was not Plan 9...).

This pedestrian script could have been borrowed from most any cops and robbers flick of the 40's. On the other hand, I guess I can forgive the script's moratorium on humor, given the seriousness of the message.

The film's science is very dated, thus requiring further tolerance. Klaatu to scientists: "The universe grows smaller every day"; no, actually the physical universe is expanding. "Venus and Mars ... are the only two planets capable of sustaining life as we know it"; no, not with their temperature extremes and chemical composition.

And the special effects are curiously minimal in the same era that produced the beautifully weird gliding machines from Mars in "War Of The Worlds" (1953), and the lurking terror in "Forbidden Planet" (1956).

One solid accomplishment of this film is its accurate portrayal of society in the early 1950's: the old cars, men's formal attire (especially those hats), interior decor, antiquated TV sets, and of course the confidence in institutional authority.

In summary then, the movie, for me, functions less as a credible sci-fi vehicle than as a fascinating socio-political commentary on American life in the early 1950's.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Edmund H. North from the story Farewell to the Master written by Harry Bates. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray and Frances Bavier. Music is by Bernard Herrmann and cinematography by Leo Tover.

Classic sci-fi is right here as director Robert Wise gives a beautifully steady hand to Harry Bate's short story. Peace for the world or else is the message and I don't see anything wrong with that because it stands up to relevant scrutiny today and unfortunately many days ahead in the future. Debates about the allegorical worth of the film still persist today, but the core message is not up for argument.

Wise shows his influences from the time when he worked with Orson Welles and Val Lewton, where here, aided by Tover's beautiful photography, he blends the feel of semi-documentary starkness with film noir visuality. Whether it's scenes of Klaatu (Rennie) trawling the wet night streets, or the interiors of the spaceship and boarding house, the visual imagery by way of low-key lighting compositions is often striking for mood accentuation.

All the cast are spot on in their respective performances, with Neal refreshingly given a female role that doesn't resort to her being token sex appeal or a shrieking harpy. Herrmann's understated score is dynamite, and pretty much imitated wholesale from this point onwards, and the film is laced with poignant and frightening scenes that keep the viewer firmly glued to the tale unfolding. The demonstration of the visitors power gives the film its title and it's a glorious slice of celluloid, and in Gort the robot (Lock Martin) we have one of the biggest icons in sci-fi cinema.

Once viewed one can never forget The Day The Earth Stood Still, its message, its structured precision and its technical smarts ensure you will remember this film always. One of the most important science fiction movies of all time, a game changer in the critical year for the sci-fi genre. All told it's magic cinema still standing the test of time. 10/10

Give peace a chance. That is the message delivered to us Earthlings by this film's mysterious alien visitor. In the time this film was made the message was a rather powerful one. American/Soviet tensions were high, we had entered the age of nuclear weapons and the idea that humankind may be on the verge of destroying itself was not all that far-fetched. It is in this atmosphere that Klaatu, visitor from another world, arrives on Earth. When his flying saucer lands in Washington there is understandably much apprehension. But Klaatu comes in peace. We learn that he wishes to bring all the leaders of the world together to warn them of the dangers should they continue their nuclear arms race. Seems the aliens don't much mind if us silly Earthlings kill ourselves in war after war. But our nuclear weaponry, combined with the start of space exploration, causes the people of other worlds to be concerned that their peaceful existence could soon be threatened by the people of Earth. If that comes to pass Klaatu warns us that there will be consequences. Dire consequences.

It's a rather simple story but one which certainly grabs and then holds on to your attention. In playing Klaatu, an alien who appears to be rather human, Michael Rennie turns in a quality performance. Klaatu may seem human but we always know there's something more there and Rennie portrays that otherworldliness wonderfully. When Klaatu foils our government's attempts to hold him and wanders out into society the movie kicks into life. We see this alien visitor interact with ordinary people as he tries to fulfill his mission and save us Earthlings from ourselves. Klaatu will be aided by a young boy, Bobby Benson, whom he befriends and by Bobby's friendly but wary widowed mother. They are unaware of who exactly "Mr. Carpenter", the alias Klaatu has taken, really is. Eventually though his true identity will be secret no longer and it's a race against time, and the military, as Klaatu tries to deliver his message of peace to the world without getting himself killed first.

The movie is a little dry and rather talky. A lot of words and, especially for a science fiction film, very little action. Even the ending, after all that has come before, seems somewhat anticlimactic. You might be expecting some kind of spectacular, thrilling showdown but there's nothing of the sort. But in its own way the climax works for this movie, especially taking into account the time in which it was made. Nowadays Hollywood would certainly jazz things up with all kinds of spectacular effects. But as we have seen time and again great effects do not necessarily make for a great movie. The effects in this movie are incredibly primitive. For example Klaatu's companion, the giant, menacing robot Gort, is rather obviously just a tall guy in a cheesy foam rubber suit. And the story itself requires you to occasionally suspend disbelief as well. A spaceship lands in Washington and the military leaves just two soldiers there to guard it? Really? That's just one of the contrivances necessary to allow the plot to move forward. But while there are certainly some things to quibble with the movie is still undeniably compelling. It's a simple story but it works. For all the money spent to make modern sci-fi movies look spectacular there is a lesson to be learned here that the story is the most important thing. It doesn't matter how good your movie looks if the story stinks. This old-school movie may not look spectacular but the story makes it a film well worth seeing.

The cast, story,and directing all combine to make this one of the best all time science fiction movies ever made. Seamless entertainment and a hold-your-breath climax will keep you on the edge of you seat until the last moment. A benevolent space man comes to earth to deliver the message,"learn to live together or else..." What can the consequences possibly be? This is a must-see and is suitable for all ages. Don't forget what to say to prevent the annihilation of earth.

It's important to keep in mind that the story this film is based on, like much other "Golden Age" science fiction, is deservedly forgotten. What survives from that era of science fiction are a few names--Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein--and a slew of stories by other authors that can genuinely be appreciated for their vision and storytelling. "The Day The Earth Stood Still" however seems more rooted in the insipid science fiction of the era, the type that was guaranteed to be forgotten fairly soon. Everything about this film is banal and hokey--surely gripping at the time, but quite silly and laughable by today's standards. It isn't even on par with the best episodes of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, and the message strikes one as obvious and heavy handed. It's a wonder how adults can continue to find merit in a film with such a puerile center.