Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence.
Directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose)
Starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese…
Is it possible to entertain audiences and stimulate them to think about important issues without sacrificing the film’s enjoyability or coming across as preachy? I guess 2008 is the year to do it. Wall-E did it, and so did The Day the Earth Stood Still, Scott Derrickson's remake of the 1951 classic.
I really like the director of this film. I interviewed him when his The Exorcism of Emily Rose came out two years ago. Scott is an interesting guy. He's a Biola grad (a Christian school in Southern California) with films like Hellraiser on his director's resume. So when he tackled “Emily Rose,” I was excited to talk with him about the horror medium. After all, a bunch of Christians would consider horror films pure evil. Right? Scott and I had an interesting dialogue about that very subject.
The thing I really like about Scott, besides the fact that he's a talented director, is the fact that he uses film as a “canvas” to bring up spiritual conversations. His films are GREAT discussion starters. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was basically a film that asked the question, “Does God exist.” Now, in the wake of that film, Scott cleverly uses The Day the Earth Stood Still and his Oscar winning cast to bring up the issue of redemption.
I didn't know much about this film prior to the screening. As a movie buff, I'm not a big fan of the old War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, etc. (my love for films starts in the 70's, save a handful of films, mostly from Hitchcock). So as I sat down in the theatre this morning, I really didn't know what to expect. I'll be honest. Keanu Reeves is not my favorite. His best line in a film was either, “Wild stallions!” or “Good noodles.” Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised with this film.
The story is about the day that an alien visits our planet, casting judgment on humans for the way they live. The whole movie wrestles with man's lack of redeeming qualities. Helen Benson (played by Oscar winning Jennifer Connelly) basically begs the alien (played by Reeves… he actually did a good job), to spare humankind.
The film provides some great discussions. Our ministry will probably write up several and put them on our MOVIE CLIP DISCUSSIONS page on the film's DVD release.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Another bonus… the film was completely clean. I’d let my kids watch this before Shrek 3. Nothing objectionable at all. It got a PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence. I’d let my 6th grader see it with me without hesitation.
It comes out this Friday- I give it a “Theatre Worthy.”
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
