It's called "The Day The Earth Stopped". No, not "The Day The Earth Stood Still", it's when it just plain stopped. First off, it's written by C. Thomas Howell, you know that 80's has been who we haven't heard from since "The Outsiders"?
Yeah. HIM.
So, right off the bat you know this film is gonna' be good, right? He stars in it too. Even better.
Anyway, moving on. So, the movie starts out with some Star Wars looking toys floating through the air on strings and I immediately straightened up in my seat and braced myself for some real action. I mean, the description on the sleeve wasn't kidding around. It promised to be packed with LOTS of action, so I was delighted to see that was starting in right away.
So, like this thing flies through space and crashes into the earth and you see lots of smoke from all kinds of angles. It was truly suspenseful. Next thing you know there's this naked hot chick walking through the forest and all I have to say is wherever she comes from, they've definitely got collagen because those were some plumped up lips. So I turn to my husband and I'm like, "Oh, well I think YOU'RE gonna' like this movie". But then, suddenly there's a naked dude walking through the forest and I couldn't help but smile and exclaim, "Okay, a little something for BOTH of us."
Next thing you know - BAM! There's like two robots made out of recycled materials (Go C. Thomas! Recycle all the way! Glad to see you're at least into the environment!) and then there's like cars screaming around a corner and people running into a building and suddenly the whole roof of this building is covered in computers and hot scientist-looking people. I think they were scientists. I know they were definitely all hot because hot chicks is what makes a movie good. C. Thomas would know. He's been in the biz since the 70's.
Oh, and then all of the sudden these scientists - man, they are like so smart - suddenly get this feeling that there might be aliens lurking in a forest somewhere. Just by seeing these recycled garbage robots they know that! I was like so amazed! I turned to my husband and inquired, "Wow! Scientists are really that smart? I mean, they're like psychic too! I did not know that! This movie just taught me something new. I gotta' keep watching!" I mean, it was gripping, truly gripping.
So then they see naked people in the forest and they just know these have got to be aliens. They also knew to look for two of them because just by looking at the smoke rising from the ground, they could tell there had to be exactly two life forms and that they had to be alien. Just off the smoke they knew that! Incredible! Okay, okay, I know - you're dying to know. YES! They do capture the naked people/aliens. They shoot little Nerf darts at them, but these life forms are total wimps because they fell to the ground instantly.
They take them into some prison-looking building and the male alien is lying on this table just staring at the ceiling - NOT BLINKING EVER! Creeped me out! I turned to Bertrand and said, "This thing isn't even blinking. I don't know if I'm gonna' be able to get to sleep tonight. This is too creepy for me." So a doctor person goes in the room, looks at him for a few seconds and then emerges and here's where the dialog gets really good:
MAN: So? What do you think?
DOCTOR: It's hard to say.
MAN: Do you think it's human?
DOCTOR: Well, it looks human. It's got two arms and two legs.
And this film really got me thinking. The only characteristics we humans have that separate us from any other living thing out there is two arms and two legs? Well...there's a lot more creatures out there that are human then. I mean, monkeys have two arms and two legs. Somebody screwed up BIG TIME! And I'm not talking about C. Thomas Howell! I'm talking about the supposed REAL scientists who classified life forms! Idiots! All of them!
Anyway, so it flashes to a scene on the rooftop of a building again where hot scientist people are still typing on computers and I have no idea what they're typing, but I'm sure it's very scientific. And these robot thingies are just standing there. Then suddenly! Out of nowhere! A helicopter flies in and shoots at the recycled garbage heap and it swings its arm and hits the helicopter! It was crazy! I was on the edge of my seat at this point. I was like, "Wow! This is getting crazy!"
Then the dialog went like this:
MAN: Well, know we know they're hostile.
And I got a little disappointed in the film at this point.
See, that man wasn't very smart. The helicopter attacked first. That garbage heap was just standing there minding its own business and I mean we were 20 minutes into the movie at this point and it didn't do any harm. It was provoked. So, I disagree with C. Thomas Howell's idea that this garbage heap was hostile. I mean, that's just wrong.
Anyway, that's as far as I got. But, I just had to share. And now I've gotta' get back there and see some more. I won't give any more away. Just...go rent it! You'll love it!
