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Reviewed by UK Guest, 13th Nov 2001. |
| Review Summary: A Master of the Science Fiction Genre |
Overall Score: 5/5
 
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Review: Well, what can be said here..... Truly a classic if ever there was one. A lot of people have slated this movie and referred to it a a 'B' movie, but I think time has proved it not to be so and has generated its own following, thus placing it firmly in the 'Cult' slot. The film not only depicts the fright, or even terror, and indeed wonderment, at such an event as a spacecraft landing on earth, but also illuminates the political and social climate at that time, and provides the viewer with what it might be like for a stranger from another world to experience, for a short while, the trials and tribulations of the Human Condition. The scene at the Arlington cemetery is a case in point.
Whilst it's true that parts of the film could've been better scripted, you have to take into account that this is what the actors had to work with, that tools such as special FX were still in their infancy, and maybe speculate somewhat, that underneath it all the director was perhaps trying to inject a little comedy aswell. It has been suggested that Michael Rennie was wooden in the lead role of Klaatu..... Ask yourself this question. How would you act if you had landed here from the depths of space to be presented with the same set of options as he??
And just look at the character lineup, the film has it all. The stranger, guarded by his 'policeman' Robot Gort, with it's fantastic power and impregnability - probably enough there to freeze any soul if such a machine were to exist. The fearless inquisitive boy - The boys mother, of course played by the lovely Patricia Neal, displaying in some ways more than just a passing interest in our intergalactic traveller - Her boyfriend, whom one wants to detest immediately (intended I think) - The nervous landlady - The armed services and the police - The radio and TV presenters - The eccentric Professor Barnhardt, what a character! absolutely brilliant. This movie should rate highly on anyones classics list. Superb. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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5 |
| Review Score: |
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5 |
| Recommended? | |
Yes |
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DVD Films