On top of his other allegiances, The Day The Earth Stood Still director Scott Derrickson is an avowed Christian. Which has clouded his vision. Everyone agrees that Michael Rennie‘s Klaatu in the original 1951 film is a Christ-like figure (his adopted earth name is John Carpenter — i.e., J.C.) but how Derrickson sees Keanu Reeves‘ Klaatu in the same light is beyond me. For most of the film Reeves seems barely cognizant of moral or emotional distinctions in people, and he’s decided from the get-go to murder the human race in order to save the planet earth — an understandable thought from an earth-firster but hardly a Christ-like determination.
