When a UFO approaches Earth at close to light speed, Helen Benson is one of many scientists called in to figure out how humanity can survive. When this sphere approaches the earth, it slows down to a soft landing in New York; an alien, Klaatu, comes out to a less-than-warm welcome by the military. When a stray soldier decides to shoot the alien, an enormous robot appears, paralyzes every human in the city, and shorts out all electrical power in the area. Klaatu, clearly holding sway over the robot, commands the robot to pause its counterattack. Klaatu takes human form while healing himself from his bullet wound, and when he tells American military types he's here to talk to the United Nations, America responds by tossing him into a holding cell for questioning and possible torture. Helen helps Klaatu escape, and together they go on the lam from the government and the police. Klaatu hunts down another alien, Mr. Wu, who has blended in with the humans. Klaatu tells him they plan on wiping out all traces of humankind on the planet, and Mr. Wu, instead of going with him decides to stay. Despite humanity's destructive tendencies, Mr. Wu has affection for them and would rather die one of them than escape back to an alien planet. This confuses Klaatu, who despite Helen's pleas continues forward with the plan. He sets out sending a series of spheres around the planet, gathering animals and sending them away from Earth to preserve the non-human lifeforms. Meanwhile, the robot is drilled into by humans, and small flying bug-like robots fly out and begin destroying everything manmade in their paths, including men. Once Helen convinces Klaatu humanity is worth saving, Klaatu must find a way to stop the robot and these robotic bugs before it's too late.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's a classic story; however, it's blandly told in the case of this remake, and the casting choices they made hurt the overall impact of the film.
Best scene in story:
The robotic bugs are an impressive special effect, and watching them tear through Meadowlands Stadium in a matter of minutes is pretty incredible.
Opinion about the main character:
Klaatu doesn't really feel human feelings for the majority of the film, making him a less-than-ideal main character; Keanu Reeves tries but isn't given much to do.
