Letters to the Editor

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" This supremely lame update of the sci-fi classic, starring Keanu Reeves, is assembled out of bits of every movie where an unknown whatzit threatens our way of life. By Andrew O'Hehir [2008-12-12]

• And Ringo Starr appears where?

  Science fiction is too important to be left to Hollywood sleaze merchants, especially ones with big budgets. I've felt for a long time that the Michael Rennie original could be redone, but that it would take more imagination than I've seen displayed in any mainstream scifi film, ever--and that goes for anything from Spielberg or Lucas.

  The remake should've been tasked to some lean, hungry outsider with a real love for classic SF. Instead, if O'Hehir's review is accurate, we get CGI and what passes for humanoid emotion these days.

  I still plan on seeing this--maybe some shred of the original, which is an essential experience, remains. I suspect that Mr. O'Hehir, like most non-SF people, has little patience with the rather elaborate suspension-of-belief mechanism needed to get through the door with most SF. But for devotees it's worth the cover charge.

  -- lsujp
  [Read lsujp's other letters]
  Permalink Flag Thursday, December 11, 2008 07:38 PM
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