The international trailer for Fox’s upcoming remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still is now online and you can watch it right here below.

This latest in the endless train of unnecessary remakes is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Keanu Reeves in the role originally played by Michael Rennie. Reeves is supported by Oscar-winners Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates.

The movie looks interesting with a direction that leans toward more ecological themes than the post-war threat of nuclear Armageddon that haunted the original, but with the exception of a cool spaceship and the awesomeness that is Klaatu’s badass robot protector Gort, Robert Wise’s original film was big on ideas and short on visual effects. The new version seems to ride high on hollow CGI spectacle.

With the planet facing the worst environmental crisis it has seen since its earliest days, this new Day could either strike a chord with socially-unaware audiences or get lost in the holiday stampede. One thing’s for sure, few actors have the look of a strange, otherworldly being that Keanu Reeves possesses, and the dude’s not even wearing make-up.

Judge for yourself when the Earth begins standing around minding its own biz beginning December 12, 2008.

Trailer

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