The Day the Earth Stood Still… Again!
“Based on the early, hostile reactions to the news that Twentieth Century Fox was remaking The Day the Earth Stood Still, you’d think the studio had planned to spray-paint the Mona Lisa,” writes Martin Marrow of CBC News.
It shocked me. Keanu Reeves and Twentieth Century Fox remaking this classic sci-fi film.
I haven’t bothered to watch it. Maybe never will. “Another fast, loud, CGI-driven hurricane,” say reviewers, “with a reliably bloodless Keanu Reeves as the… blank spot in the eye of the digital storm.”
Now, of course, when you mess with the Mona Lisa of science fiction, it’s hard to win a favorable review. I’m usually more forgiving… but have little hope for this one.
I saw the original film when in junior high. A friend had given me a long list of classic movies to track down (usually by pre-setting the VCR to record at 2 a.m. in the morning).
The title instantly caught my attention. Anything about being “still” held attraction for me, long before I started exploring meditation.
In this case, “standing still” referred to Klaatu paralysing the Earth’s electrical systems (which, strangely enough included automobiles). It wasn’t really what, I believe, the title meant.
Instead, the “Earth standing still” referred to hitting the pause button on mankind’s rat race, so we could experience, simultaneously, an introspective moment about our own impending doom. The new film, apparently, focuses more on global warming than a nuclear showdown. Klaatu could easily have been asking us to look at a variety of other issues, including world hunger, economical instability and, especially, spiritual degradation.
To me, The Day the Earth Stood Still, really asked us all to be still and realize that these mortal identities we hold so dear, will live such a short time, as a tiny speck, on this little planet, in a vast universe, billions of years old. Our preoccupation with our own concerns — which inevitably lead to unhappiness, disease and poverty — must end.
If you saw the new film, let me know what you thought. If you’re a fan of the original, share your interpretation of the “earth standing still.” You can leave a comment in the box provided below…
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About the Author: John C. A. Manley writes writes spiritual science fiction and fantasy novellas. He's been practicing Kriya Yoga since 1996. For three years he lived in in hindu monastery in the mountains of of Southern California. He currently lives in Stratford, Ontario with his wife Nicole, son Jonah and cat Astral. Click here to read more or click here to subscribe to his MetaphysicalSF email column. |