The Day The Earth Stood Still in Off Topic

ID:51032
 
Nov 25 2008, 3:52 pm
I just found out that the remake is about the environment. I am now very, very sad. I can see why you'd make changes to the original movie, I can see why you might choose to make something new based entirely off the original short story, but I can't see how, when trying to stick with the original movie, you would do something as lame as make Klaatu's message about saving the environment.

How can that even make sense? Is Gort now a member of a race of intergalactic hippybots? Do Green Peace build super-robots now? I'm also pretty sure the movie will last five minutes with that message.
Opening scene: Gort and Klaatu land in Washington DC. Gort disables all technology that is harmful to the environment. The Earth stands still. Gort and Klaatu crack open some space beers, pat them selves on the back for a job well done and head home. Mission accomplished!

That's right. Either the title doesn't make any sense, and Gort doesn't have the power to make the Earth stand still, or he does have the power and chooses a needlessly complex plan that amounts to the same thing over just turning all our junk off.

This is why I've been avoiding info on the movie up until now. =(
#1 Nov 25 2008, 3:59 pm
Klaatu barada nikto!
#2 Nov 25 2008, 4:40 pm (Edited on Nov 25 2008, 4:53 pm)
Well it sort of had to be- what, was he going to warn us of the dangers of nuclear holocaust? You're 30 years too late, mate! That's relativity for you.


I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this remake isn't just another giant cashcow, but even hollywood needs a thin veil of relevency in the plot to churn out yet more money-grabbing rubbish. Consider the Planet of the Apes remake - from a chilling warning against the evils of mankind to bizarre, pointless 'oh wait it was just another planet* okay then' suckage.



*actually the original book DID center around another planet and, like in the recent film, the main character returns to earth to find monkeys ruling there too. But that's where the similarity ends, because the remake was soulless and awful.
#3 Nov 25 2008, 6:40 pm (Edited on Nov 25 2008, 6:49 pm)
Elation wrote:
Well it sort of had to be- what, was he going to warn us of the dangers of nuclear holocaust? You're 30 years too late, mate! That's relativity for you.

Like I said I can understand changing things. This message is just weak. They've just looked at the problems we're facing today and jumped on the first thing they thought of.


but even hollywood needs a thin veil of relevency in the plot to churn out yet more money-grabbing rubbish.

Not according to the trailers I've seen. From what I can gather its being sold as 'Keanu Reeves comes to Earth, then everything gets smashed up by the monster from Lost'. It will make most of its money from that and Christmas presents once it hits DVD.
It doesn't really need to be relevant, they're not trying to make something that will change the way we think they're trying to make a quick buck, so why can't they make it good? Nobody is going to be sitting there thinking 'you know what, I would go see this movie but I'm afraid it's not relevant enough to make me really sit down and think when I leave the theater'.
The idea of a nuclear holocaust isn't causing many people to loose sleep at night, but we still have wars and all that bad junk.
Switch it up a little, instead of new weapon developments make it so that a couple of breakthroughs have been made that have set us on course to start setting up colonies on other planets. Humanities problems are soon going to have galactic consequences. Enter Klaatu and Gort. The rest of the movie plays out roughly the same but with more action packed explosions.


I know I sound like a bitchy fanboy, I just hate it when this sort of stuff happens. The only reason they're making changes like this is so the people making the movie can keep up the illusion of artistic integrity. The twist is 95%* of the time those changes turn the movie into a joke.
The thing is you're remaking a movie to cash in. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. It's very transparent.
Admit it, make a movie that the actors wont deny their involvement in the second the publicity tour is over and sleep well at night knowing you managed to get rich without creating an abomination. People wont even laugh at the mere thought of your remake.




*this number may or may not be a random number.