When you watch a movie titled "The Day the Earth Stood Still," you would naturally expect the Earth to stand still at some point during the film. After all, the Earth came to a complete stop in the original 1953 classic when Klaatu halted the rotation of the planet. In fact, the title and the names of Klaatu and GORT are the only things the 2008 remake has in common with the cult classic.

In the original film, Klaatu was sent to Earth with GORT, his robot protector, to warn humanity about the dangers of the nuclear arms race. At the time the movie was released, the planet was gripped in panic during the height of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. The original was an interesting political commentary with a sound message.

Flash forward 50 years and the nuclear arms race is over and the planet is at peace, for the most part. But instead of being on the brink of destroying each other, humanity is on the brink of destroying the environment. A much more cynical Klaatu comes to Earth in a dazzling entrance to warn political leaders. Instead, he's met with hostility and is taken into custody by the federal government.

The rest of the movie turns into a chase film where Dr. Helen Benson, played by the beautiful Jennifer Connelly, escorts the enigmatic alien as he prepares for an event called "the process." A sub-plot is established between Benson and her step-son, Jacob, who lost his father in Iraq and has a hatred of the alien.

The movie is a predictable by-the-books experience that attempts to make up for its shortcomings with fancy special effects. GORT doesn't resemble a deadly menacing robot at all. Instead, he looks like some kind of silver blob that a kid made with playdough. Instead of asserting himself with any force, he disolves into a swarm of metal bugs and destroys the New York Giants football stadium.

Whereas the original movie had a purpose and conveyed a message that could affect all of humanity, its remake serves as nothing more than a vehicle for Al Gore propaganda and could be mistaken for a sequel to M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening," where it not for the giant robot. Why does the environment need protecting when it can force people to kill themselves and have alien protectors?

Surprisingly, Keanu Reeves was the hilight of the film. He still plays the same Neo character that he's used on-screen for nearly 10 years. The man is a one-trick pony with the dark, brooding and mysterious personality. But it serves him well as Klaatu. Jacob, played by Jaden Smith, should have never been written into the movie to begin with. Sure, he's the cliche catalyst that helps Klaatu see the good side of humanity, but he's brash, annoying and a detrement to the film. If I want to see little kids be brats, I can go to Wal-Mart. At least then, I don't have to pay to listen to them scream and yell.

The film might be a decent spectacle to show off a new home theater set-up when it's released on home video next year, but it's a waste of money at the theaters. Even the special effects, which can make a bad movie at least look good, are disappointing and amteurish. I guess we have reached the point where having computer-generated helicopters taking off is easier to using an actual helicopter. Just like last year's "I Am Legend," "The Day the Earth Stood Still" relies too much on its sub-part special effects to dazzle and distract viewers from the film's problems.