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Directed By:
Robert Wise
Starring:
Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier and Lock Martin
Not Rated
Genre: Science Fiction
Format Used: Netflix DVD
Contains: Graphic Violence
THE PLOT:
The discovery of a flying saucer stuns the world. It lands in a huge open area and the alien inside Klaatu offers something
that may or may not be a weapon and when the strange device pops open, a trigger happy Soldier fires back accident. Wounding
Klaatu and activating the robot Gort, who destroys all the weapons in the area.
Klaatu is treated, but the message is destroyed. Now he must get his message of peace on his own. The message is, "Do
not bring your evil here.". The universe is a peaceful place and they don't want your war to ruin it. So the message
is be peaceful or die.
ZEDD'S OPINION:
This is a great classic film, it has some of the best effects of the decade. Some of the best performances I've seen for
this kind of film. Gort is way cool, and with the huge budget of almost a million, the production values were through the
roof. But enough of the good stuff, let's talk about the major flaw with it. People always talk about how perfect this film
is. Well, I don't think so. It's kind of slow, even for a fifties flick. Then the concept of the rest of the universe if
peaceful except Earth. I find that hard to believe that we as humans are the only creatures in this vast universe that wages
war. I find the theory that technologically advanced equals peaceful. That crud and everyone knows it. I mean, warlike
people would destroy themselves before reaching that far is also crud, after all in the movie we were about to go into space.
Hence the "warning" from space. So if we can be warlike and not destroy ourselves and reach some technology others
can to. The theory is flawed and the movie is flawed. But not enough to ruin it. It's still an excellent classic that deserves
recognition for what it did right. It's also nice to see a nice alien in a fifties movie. All and all I give it 8 STARS.
VOLTRON'S OPINION:
I agree with Zedd about the slowness of the movie. But I must disagree with the other part. They are implying that this
alien council that issued the warning has already wiped out all the other violent races in the universe. Which raises the
ethical question, by killing people that are "warlike". Doesn't that make you as "warlike" as the people
or creatures your killing? Makes you think and that's one of the strong points of the film. Anyway, I give it 9 STARS.
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE (+ HITS):
+ GORT (Gort is one cool robot monster)
+ PRODUCTION VALUE (Second to none of the time.)
+ EFFECTS (Incredible visual effects)
+ PERFORMANCES (The acting was Oscar calibur. But did any of the actors win Oscars that year, no. Because it was a science
fiction.)
+ GOOD ALIEN (It was nice to see a nice alien.)
ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE (- MISSES):
- SLOW (There's not allot in the lines of action.)
- TECHNOLOGY EQUALS PEACEFUL (I don't think so.)
- ETHICS QUESTION (By killing people who are warlike, doesn't that make them warlike?)
...AND FINALLY...
- HUMAN ALIEN (Scientist say that humans are not likely to look totally human. It was a cheap plot device.)
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