The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Review

When the visor 
on Gort's helmet 
lifts, a destructive
beam of light shoots
out.

The Day the Earth Stood Still... a 1951 sci-fi masterpiece directed by Robert Wise. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, made in the decade of science fiction. It begins with an alien named Klaatu landing in Washington, D.C. With military officials and the public bracing for an attack, nobody except for a government secretary and her son know Klaatu's true intentions.
This film has great acting, a great message of peace on Earth (and in the universe), and one of cinema's coolest robots, Gort - a galactic "policeman" who vaporizes the military's guns and tanks after Klaatu is harmed by a trigger-happy soldier when he first emerges from the spaceship.

*Based on the short story Farewell to the Master by Harry  Bates.

*Remade in 2008 as The Day the Earth Stood Still.






DVD and Blu-Ray availability

20th Century Fox "Studio
Classics" release. The one
I own - a very nice
edition with good
amount of extras.

There is also the 2-Disc
Special Edition. This
release is full of new
extras.

             

The film is also
available on Blu-Ray.

                                                                                             

Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot