Catholic-ometer: 4.5 of 5
Enjoyability: 5 of 5
To begin with, this is the 1951 version of the movie that I'm reviewing. Not the remake. The remake "starred" Keanu Reaves, and will probably not be remembered in 10 years.
This movie, however, will be remembered in another 50, because its settings, characters, story and message are so timeless. I've heard people say they were simple, but there's often something very sobering and essential hidden within that kind of simplicity.
A saucer lands in Washington DC in the 1950s, and an alien being; Klaatu, emerges from it, claiming to come in peace, and saying that he has a message, which must be heard by every person on Earth. After failing to convince the world leaders to gather and hear his message, he disguises himself as an earthman named Carpenter and goes looking for answers; trying to understand Earthpeople a bit better before he makes his next choice.
The relationships that Klaatu develops with the people he meets are interesting and fun to watch, and this is where much of the story takes place. The ultimate necessity of his message being received, and his eventual departure from Earth, however, are always looming in the background; calling him back to his mission, because according to Klaatu, the very safety of the world could be at stake.
A lot of other interesting things, and a few exciting things happen in this film over the course of Klaatu's visit, but three elements in particular make me like this film a great deal more than other sci-fi films from this time period.
First, Klaatu's relationship with other human beings, and his love of goodness, intelligence and maturity helped me to like the character, and to sympathise with his predicament. At no point does he fall into any of the cliches that often plague other sci-fi protagonists. He's not emotionless, or cold, or frantic, or ruthless. He doesn't, in fact, come across as anything but a very decent man, who's terrified that he may be forced to cross a moral line in order to accomplish his mission. This is the first reason I liked this film. I liked and understood its main character. He's not eager to cause trouble, but neither is he a delusional hippie-type, who thinks that peace can be made by just singing or emoting together. He wants peace, but he knows you need to sacrifice to get it. I often feel like him in my ordinary life.
Secondly, Klaatu is himself religious, after a fashion; a rare thing in sci-fi aliens. He doesn't refer to any specific religion. His acknowledgment of "the almighty spirit" could even imply deism, but it's so brief, that it doesn't really imply anything, except, of course, that he's not an atheist. This alone would earn another star from me. In this culture, we often assume that if aliens exist, they'll all be super-advanced atheists with no God concepts of any sort, and to be honest, I've never found this image convincing.
Thirdly, Klaatu's message, and his speech to mankind. Some might consider his ultimatum a bit harsh, though remember; it's not his to give. Still, many people would say things like "Wait a minute! That means we don't get to do whatever we want anymore! That's dictatorial! Boo!" However, these people, I think, are missing the point.
The problem with dictatorships (and with democrasies, really,) has always been that no human being or group of human beings can be trusted to run them properly. This, I think you'll agree, is not a factor with the form of government that Klaatu's people chose.
Furthermore, anyone who disagrees with Klaatu from the perspective of wanting unrestricted freedom must be a very wicked person indeed; especially if they've lived through any part of the last three decades. Klaatu's message is, in many ways, more pertinent now than it was in the days of the 1950s, because we've seen the horrors that total freedom from all constraint and natural law bring; the endless abandonment of one another, the tyranny of our own whims, the debauchery and depravity of the frantic search for the next "fix" of illicit pleasure; it's all become an everyday occurrance as the 21st century dawns. People don't deserve the chance to act irresponsibly, because when they do, they only hurt one another. They need some authority figure to honor and listen to; someone they can trust to give them right guidance. This truth is distinctly human.
This, I think, is the main reason I liked this film so much. It doesn't just speak to the decent man, or the religious man. It speaks to the human experience.
We've become so sensitive and touchy now; we humans. We bark like dogs at anything that seems to present a "heavy-handed" or "unsubtle" message... as though we consisted of nothing more than feelings; to be utterly destroyed by the slightest pang of genuine sadness or guilt. This is the real tragedy of the modern age; the raging, militant refusal to face our problems, so that the vast majority of people can't even appreciate simple pleasures like this film, which should be a stunning affirmation of human virtue and what's needed to preserve it.
But if you're on the other side of that moral line, you may find this movie burdensome and appalling, and that truly makes me sad. If so, it's not that there's something wrong with the movie; but with the heart receiving the message.
The scope of the problem in the modern world is much bigger than it was in Klaatu's time, and we still don't have any concrete plan for solving it; less now than ever, in some ways. The remnant needs a close encounter like this every so often to cheer them up and remind them that there's still a larger world; spared the ravages of evil and war, and if people who don't want to listen to that message don't want to hear it, then that's entirely their problem.
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