Holiday Movie Guide 2008

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_ on Aug 18, 2009 at 8:13PM

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15 of 29

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates and Jon Hamm
Release date: December 12
Why you should see it: This remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic follows Klaatu (Reeves), an alien in a human body sent to Earth to deliver a message to the planet's citizens: Give peace a chance, or else... (Hint: The "or else" will be pretty drastic.) He's aided by robot Gort, scientist Helen (Connelly) and Helen's stepson Jacob (Jaden Smith), but a betrayal by someone he trusts forces Klaatu to give the world a little taste of that "or else" he has promised.
Box office bottom line: Sci-fi purists question why the movie needed to be remade at all, and, despite his performances in The Matrix flicks, Keanu still doesn't always get the respect he deserves. But no matter... this is the sci-fi movie of the season, and the box office receipts should reflect that.