1001 Movies Club - Day The Earth Stood Still, The (1951)

#241. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Why It's In The Book: "Robert Wise's 1951 science-fiction drama...hit a nerve with nuclear-war weary and politician-wary audiences of the time. beginning in an almost documentary style, it spreads a chilling antiwar message via spectacular special effects and memorable characterizations. More than a B movie, it is the first popular adult science-fiction film to send out a real message about humanity... Never bettered, The Day The Earth Stood Still is a classic on many fronts, not the least for its antiwar message and clever visual effects as well as Bernard Hermann's haunting use of the theremin, an early electronic instrument." -1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Member Ratings

Michaël Parent - 9/10
" ...the subtle but strong "mise en scène" by Wise places this film amongst the greatest films of its
time."
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Adolytsi - 8/10
"This is a still-relevant piece of entertainment with a message that it very obviously wants to impart, but it wouldn’t be the first film to try."
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Chip - 8/10
"First things first – if you saw the recent remake with Keanu Reeves then please try to wipe that from your mind.  While I am not one of those people that hates remakes on principle, this particular remake was tough to watch.  They took an SF classic, threw in a bunch of special effects, and threw out everything that made the original such a great movie."
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Doug Tilley - 8/10
"The Day the Earth Stood Still still remains one of the high points of a genre that - at its best - can mix a serious message with whiz-bang elements to create a lasting piece of entertainment."
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Jay Cluitt - 8/10
"It's no surprise that this film has become an integral part of classic science fiction, with the phrase "Klaatu, barada, nichto" (or is it necktie?) going down in history as one of the greatest quotes in cinema."
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Kim Wilson - 8/10
"The cast, music, and richness of themes contribute mightily to the film's timeless quality. But it's the story--along with that awesome robot Gort--that makes The Day the Earth Stood Still popular with viewers of all ages."
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Klaus Ming - 8/10
"With top-notch production values, this 1951 science fiction movie-with-a-message set the standard for alien-themed movies for decades."
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Movie Guy Steve - 8/10
"If nothing else, it's a marvelous vision of human behavior, particularly how quickly public opinion changes and alters based on what happens with Klaatu."
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Squish - 7/10
"...the famously mentioned 'cordon' is literally that - a little museum-grade rope that sort of keeps the civilians twenty feet from the soldiers, tanks and machine guns surrounding the greatest threat that planet Earth may ever face. Riiiiight."
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Overall Rating: 8/10