Trapped....again.

We just watched The Day the Earth Stood Still. As a lover of classic Sci-fi I was really looking forward to seeing it. It put Jeff asleep and the twins are asleep too although probably more because it's their nap time than the movie. (That's why I'm trapped, the babies nap on mommy's lap.) Anyway, it was kind of a lame movie, but it really made me think, you know? 

I know, as a general rule I resent movies with a message designed to "make people think", but I'm not thinking about what the movie makers wanted me to think about, so I'll allow it.

***WARNING***

In order for me to make my point, the following blog contains SPOILERS for both versions of the film, The Day the Earth Stood Still. Read on at your own risk. Thank you.

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My brother once pointed out that one of the tricky things about sci-fi is that as soon as it comes out, it's dated. This is due in large part to the technology depicted. In the '50's the future had a definite look to it that definitely did not come about. And my dad told me about a short story where space travel was calculated on slide rules. 

But it's not just dated by tech stuff. Themes seem to fit the times as well. A wonderful example of the are the various versions of The Time Machine. In the middle of the story our time traveler stops in our future (he's from early 1900's) and shows some bleak thing we're doing to ourselves, then goes on with the story. In the '50's it showed a world wasting away from nuclear war. In the latest version it showed us destroying the moon trying to build a moon base on it. They tailored each version to fit the time it was made in. 

It seems there was a bunch of sci-fi in the 60's, 70's and 80's about government control of the masses with secrets, lies and other sinister stuff. Soilen Green, Parts: The Clonis Horror, Brave New World, and Logan's Run all come to mind. 

The message in the original film, The Day the Earth Stood Still was, humans need to stop their wars and fighting, or the enforcers that keep the cosmos safe will have to wipe you out. Very '50's era message, just coming out of some wars and having a lot of tension between nations. 

This new version is very now as far as its message goes. If you kill the earth you won't survive, but if the humans die, the earth will survive and be better off. So we need to change. We need to stop our watches and drilling for oil and become more natural. (That's the modern term for Holy because in stories like this God has no merit or place. Which is a shame. I seem to remember in the older version there was a place. Something about God being the only one that can overcome death. I could be wrong on that though.)

So here's what I'm wondering: were people back then just as annoyed by the anti war message as I am by the anti-human message now?

It really makes you think.