I finally got out to see The Day The Earth Stood Still remake, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. I made sure to see it in IMAX because from what I could tell from the preview footage, the special effects are amazing and would definitely be heightened by the IMAX experience.

I’m a big fan of the original 1951 film by director Robert Wise and not so keen on remakes, which is why I wasn’t running out to see this movie when it was released in early December. The story centers on Klaatu, an alien who comes to Earth wanting to speak to its leaders about their destructive behavior. In the original, made during the Cold War, Klaatu warns that unless the human race ceases its warmongering, they will be destroyed. In the remake, Klaatu also threatens the extinction of the human race, but because humanity has been deemed a threat to the Earth itself.

As far as the special effects and aesthetics go, this film from director Scott Derrickson does not disappoint. Klaatu’s glowing spherical spaceship landing in Central Park is such a sight to behold that I’m willing to let it go that people — including a woman with a baby stroller! — are just standing there watching it land … and then have to run for the damn lives.

But how does the film hold up beyond the special effects? Well, like I mentioned, I don’t really go for remakes, but I do understand the need to “update” storylines for modern audiences when a remake is done. So, the whole environmental aspect of it was expected. To be honest, the story really captured my attention, because I thought it was going in a certain direction, which it turned out NOT to be going in. About two-thirds of the way in, I thought, “Wow, they’re really pulling this off,” then we got to the end. WTF? In my opinion, it totally ruined the movie.

With that, here’s 13 moments from The Day The Earth Stood Still remake that made me say “What The Fuck?”

Warning — MAJOR SPOILERS

Garden Party
Starring Vinessa Shaw, Willa Holland, Ross Patterson, Erik Smith
Written and Directed by Jason Freeland
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: November 18, 2008

Ever see a movie that you really had no feelings for? A movie that was not good or bad and that you couldn’t make heads or tails out of? Well, if you are interested in having such an experience, by all means grab yourself a copy of Garden Party.

Garden Party is a direct-to-DVD feature from Lionsgate that follows a group ambivalent youngsters in Hollywood. There is 15-year-old April (Willa Holland), who is trying to escape her broken home and make something of herself but ends up just taking her clothes off for some skivvy photographer. Along the way we meet Nathan (Alexander Cendese), a dancer from Wisconsin who may or may not be gay; Sammy (Erik Smith), a musician on the rise; Todd (Richard Gunn), an artist; and Sally St. Clair (Vinessa Shaw), who grows weed in her house and sell houses for a living. They all have nothing in common but the dream to make it big in LA LA Land.