The Day the Earth Stood Still
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In The Day the Earth Stood Still, Jennifer Connelly portrays Helen Benson. This character faces a slight bit of pressure in the movie:

She is essentially the human prototype by which alien visitor Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) will decide whether we live or die on earth.

ComingSoon.net asked Connelly if playing this character felt like a huge responsibility:

It's not just Helen. It's not just on my shoulders in reality. I think the relationship between Helen and Jacob is employed in a different way than it is in the original film. It really functions like a little microchasm of human nature; how we are treating each other. They're sort of in conflict and there's a bit of a crisis and there's a reconciliation and they each take responsibility and then there's a movement towards a resolution and Klaatu observes this. So there is that dynamic.

There is also the Barnhardt scene and other encounters that he has to help shape it so that was a little bit of a relief that it wasn't just me. I wanted people to be able to identify with her and I thought it was important that she, herself be aware of the task and the enormity of that task and that position so I like that she has a moment with Barnhardt where she says "tell me what to do." She's aware what the stakes are and what she's found herself involved in.

I liked Patricia Neal's character in the original, that she is open-minded and she's a very strong, free-thinking individual. I thought that was important to carry over; that bravery. Those qualities, to be a human without prejudice, without bias, was really essential. That she be able to communicate and that's she'd be really making you feel the depths of her love. I thought those were really important things.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is not your typical sci-fi adventure.

Sure, it's got aliens and explosions and special effects. But, as our review of the movie illustrates, this movie actually aims for a lot more than that.

In The Day the Earth Stood Still, which opens on December 12, Keanu Reeves plays an alien named Klaatu.

Wanna meet him?

Check out the clip below:

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a remake of a 1951 classic.

It comes out again on December 12 and stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. Below, the actors answer a question from ComingSoon.net about the project:

It's been over five decades since the original film was released. What brought you around to wanting to modernize it?
Keanu Reeves: I think all of what you're talking about is what goes into making it a "classic." And hence, being a part of its time and the classic trying to be able to transcend that which, I guess, is where I came in in terms of trying to remaking that classic in our time with all of the same ambitions and hopes is why I was drawn to it.

Jennifer Connelly: I thought that it was just a great idea to do it. I love the original film. I think in terms of performances, Patricia Neal was so fabulous and I loved seeing this science fiction film everyone was so committed to. It took itself seriously and was really effective. As Scott was saying, as a drama I thought it was a beautifully made film and at the same time really fun and exciting - it had all of these different elements going on at the same time. I really liked the way Scott, Erwin and [screenwriter] David Scarpa contemporized this version of it. I felt it became relevant to us today in a way that I found really interesting.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a remake of a classic 1951 movie.

It features an alien named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) who comes to Earth with a robot named Gort, prophesizing the world's demise if its people don't change their belligerent ways.

Check out the film's trailer now:

They didn't have IMAX theaters in 1951.

The Day the Earth Stood Still, a remake of a movie from that year, will be simultaneously released to both IMAX and conventional theaters on December 12.

Keanu Reeves stars in The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The movie focuses on an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth. It will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality, as Bruce Snyder, President, Domestic Distribution, Twentieth Century Fox said.

"The suspense, action and sheer intensity of 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' is ideally suited to IMAX's immersive format," said Snyder. "We're very excited to once again expand our relationship with IMAX to offer moviegoers a chance to experience another one of our tent-pole movies in a truly unique and premium way."