An alien spacecraft lands in Central Park, and an alien emerges. After being wounded in an attack by the U.S. military, the human-like Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) appears when being nursed back to health and hints at the potential destruction of Earth. He manages to escape government officers, and ends up in the care of scientist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly). Along with her adopted son Jacob (Jaden Smith), the group attempts to try and stop the impending destruction, while the government chases after them.<br /><br />Buried very deep into the core of The Day the Earth Stood Still is some semblance of a great movie. But its outer shell is anything but.<br /><br />The plot may sound interesting, but after Klaatu makes it clear what his purpose is, the movie becomes a downgraded half-assed chase movie that is more boring than it is thrilling. And by the time the ending comes around, the film and everything about it is utterly forgettable. Humanity appears to be at stake, but none of the characters seem to really care about their survival. It just seems so standard to them, so tactic. Characters are done away with like they are nothing (whether by dying or just not appearing again), and other characters appear with not even the slightest hint of motivation. How are we supposed to leach on to anyone when no one is even remotely likable? The closest we get to a three-dimensional character is Reeves' Klaatu, and he speaks in such riddles and convoluted language that he may as well not be speaking English.<br /><br />Do not get me wrong: The Day the Earth Stood Still is loaded with a goldmine of ideas. But they are all treated as mere inconveniences to the bigger "plot" the film struggles with. The filmmakers seem to have very little idea of what they want to do with the picture. It seems to want to send a message, but it does not know how to. It jumps from idea to idea (and even though to thought), hoping to grip onto something that sticks. But nothing does. It is merely written over, waiting for the next idea to spark and be done away with. Even the special effect showpieces are carelessly done. Sure, there are some great effects, but ultimately, there is nothing too spectacular on display here.<br /><br />It is not clear where the fault for this silly and ultimately unneeded film lies. Do we blame screenwriter David Scarpa for not knowing whether he should homage the original work, steal from multiple films that have come since, or create his own original idea? Or do we look to director Scott Derrickson and the creative team for having culled together the shots and sequences for the film, and then not knowing how to make some sort of good movie out of it? If they do not care, then why should we? <br /><br />The acting is poor across the board. Connelly, an Oscar-winner, should have known better than to touch this film. She looks stunted and confused in every one of her scenes. I imagine she tried to make something of this awful role, but you would never even guess with the footage that exists in the film. Smith, while playing to his age, seems to be aping his father a little too much. He wants to be spunky, but he wants to try to act method at the same time. With a little more work, he could probably match Will's best work from the mid-1990s, but if he keeps this up, he is destined to become a laughing stock that will annoy audiences. Jon Hamm and Kyle Chandler are given such a small amount of work to do that one must wonder why the filmmakers went with recognizable faces in their roles, while John Cleese and James Hong have such short scenes that you may blink and miss them altogether. Kathy Bates genuinely tries to make something of her juicy role, but it is downplayed far too much.<br /><br />Reeves however, delivers another classic Reeves performance. This role was practically tailored for him to play. He spends most of his time on-screen giving baffled and bizarre looks at the camera, or delivering the stilted dialogue we have come to know him for. He gets no real time to emote in the role, and gets even less time to explain himself. But Reeves is a master of this stoned out technique, and is on his own playing field against the rest of the cast. He has done far greater work (The Matrix trilogy obviously, and my personal guilty pleasure, Speed), but because this role does not ask much of him by way of actual emotion, he soars through as the single best thing about the movie. And yes, I am quite terrified alluding to that idea.<br /><br />Calling The Day the Earth Stood Still disappointing is a bit of a stretch. Calling it awful is a lot better of a description. While the plot sounds like it could make for some interesting science-fiction (especially based off its legendary source material), the film falters and fails too many times to really make anything of itself. There are some great ideas sprinkled throughout the movie, but nothing is ever done with them. They are either brushed away, or outright ignored. Whether it is the boring storyline, the bad acting, the horrendous dialogue, the erratic tonal shifts, or the very inconsistent CGI, the film just has no chance to even attempt to work. And as a movie with a message, it fizzles more often than it sizzles. It has the ideas to go the distance, but lacks the motivation.<br /><br />3/10.