While the special effects were top notch, and director Scott Derrickson kept true to Edmund North's classic 1951 screenplay, including the uber-fabulous alien robot-guard Gort, this is an awful movie. The main problem is (and it simply wrecks me to admit it) Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, the majordomo boss alien, can't act. I adore Keanu for purely sexual reason yes, but not even watching his wonderful body move through an hour and a half of wooden acting was enough to save the film. Things are no where helped by Jennifer Connolly as the bright geneticist Klaatu takes a liking to, and worse by Kathy Bates in one her most desperately horrible roles ever. Dreadful stuff. Robert Wise's 1951 version (yes, that same Robert Wise who directed The Sound of Music) remains the definitive one to rent. If you opt to watch this for the special effects, by all means go for it, but find a copy of the band Klaatu's great first album from 1976 and put on "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" to avoid the talky bits.
For the special effects solely, my rating 3 out of 10.
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