End of the Year Movie Reviews Special!: The Day Nabilah Stood Still (Twice)

I was so busy preparing my incoming isolation at UiTM Sri Iskandar. However, despite the hectic activities, I still managed to find some time to watch movie. End of the year is my favorite movie time. Usually, this is the period where Hollywood releases blockbuster movies. After the excitement of James Bond: Quantum of Solace, I am looking forward to watch more excellent movies. There I was, sitting in front of television, watching E! Channel when news about a movie that opened up at number one. The movie was The Day the Earth Stood Still (TDTESS).

I was rubbing my hands gleefully. Ooohh, Keanu Reeves. It had got to be good. So far, I found Keanu Reeves’ movies to be enjoyable and I was full of expectation that TDTESS to be the same. So, I went to see the movie with my cousins.

And I was stood still… Seriously. I have seen some of the most mundane and silent movies – The Shining, Beautiful Mind, Panic Room (but it was fun!), etc, etc – and TDTESS is as silent as all those movies, plus, the plot was moving in a flat line form. No sudden spike to indicate it was climax, just one flat, boring line of the overused genre. Even the conversations were boring!

Aliens, in my opinion, have no other jobs to do. They are either: 1) so evil that all they want is to destroy everything because it is fun or because the Earth so resourceful (e.g.: War of the World and Independent Day); 2) so immersed in their own problem that they don’t care if they are settling the said problem on Earth and destroying everything in the process (e.g.: Alien Vs Predator and Transformers); or 3) so noble that they couldn’t bear to see human destroying the Earth, hence, TDTESS comes in.

The overused plotline and genre can be fun if they are presented in a way that is fun. But TDTESS was so… for the lack of more expressive word… BORING. So very quiet, unmoving and stale movie. Even the actors/resses suddenly became still and rigid. Maybe (a big questionable maybe) Keanu Reeves had an excuse to be so robotic and emotionless since he was the alien. But Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith looked so… I don’t know… unrealistic? And the part where the aliens spoke Chinese made me laughed. Hey, there was always a first time for everything.

So, TDTESS is overrated. Big time. A good movie to watch if you don’t have anything else better to do at the moment but I’d rather wait for the HBO to air it.

Rating? I’d give 5.2/10. If not for the plot or the actors/resses, I’d rate it for the beautiful graphic and visual effects.

Morale of the movie: It is undisputedly proven. America is an aggressive country which shoots first and regrets never later. It is agreed by an American movie.

After the disappointment of TDTESS, I was suddenly bombed by my younger cousin (a girl) about a movie called Twilight. She gushed and gushed and persuaded me to watch the movie. At that time, I had no idea what in the world was Twilight. When she described the story was about vampire, I was like, “No way! I have enough of vampire stories that full of suggestive bites!” Whenever those kinds of scene came up, I was left with a shiver and automatically my hand flew to my neck.

And she argued that Twilight was different. The movie contained only one (okay, maybe two) bites but even those were not long. (Does anybody watch Interview with a Vampire? *Shudder…*) But that was not the point, as she waved her hands about, the point was about how cute the guy was (figures…) and how romantic was the love between a mortal, which was a girl, and a vampire, which was the cute guy (double figures…).

In my mind, I began to visualize the cheesy love scenes under the moonlight with dark, huge castle in the background as the mortal and the immortal vampire declare their undying love… (huh, that sounds frighteningly familiar… oh, right… the covenant).

No… no way!

As she dragged me, regardless, towards the counter ticket to buy Twilight ticket, I was saved by Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa (that movie was AWESOME, by the way) and we ended up watching Alex and his gangs.

Then, I got home, turned on my computer to go to Yahoo! News. Bomb!!! Articles of Twilight movie and book filled the headlines. Even when I switched to E! Channel, Twilight was the *thing* of the moment. Huh?!!! What is the big freaking deal about this movie?

My curiosity was quickly aroused. And that was when I knew that I was doomed forever. I knew that no matter how I felt about those cheesy movies, I would end up watching Twilight regardless.

I was stood still. This time, literally.

I was right. Both about ending up watching the movie and that the movie was cheesy. Huhu… I mean what do you expect from a movie that was full of damsel that was in distress (all the time) and a hero that was so very powerful that he was willing to risk his life to protect her for the rest of her life. It was every girl’s (and woman’s) dream. And it was a cliché that never lost its novelty.

For example…

Edward: I feel strongly protective over you.

or

Edward: Can’t you just be content by living a long and happy life with me?

or

Edward: I have not the strength to stay away from you anymore.

Bella: Then don’t.

The quotations might not be accurate but... Huhu… See what I mean?

For me, Bella was a dull character. No special characteristic that can be attributed to her. She was moody, silent, angsty… yada, yada… a typical teenager. Edward was indecisive. He was all I-hate-her-suddenly-I-love-her. It was weird watching them interacted. I just didn’t feel them.

It was like watching the Covenant all over again…

Even the plot was overused. Let me summarize it. A damsel met a devastatingly handsome and mysterious man, who had a secret that he had awesomely strong power and that the fact he was immortal. Then they hated each other and they fell in love (irrecoverably, absolutely, undeniably… you get the gist). And then, suddenly, a villain came. He was strong and immortal too and he wanted to hurt the damsel (for many reasons but in this plot, because he wanted to eat her). The hero got all protective and heroic and thus, the epic scene of damsel-got-caught-and-was-hurt-by-the-villain-but-was-saved-by-the-hero-in-the-nick-of-time-and-the-hero-fought-with-villain-in-revenge-mode.

And everybody lived happily ever after, except, of course the villain, who was dead.

Oh! The clichés. I repetitively turned my face away in utter dismay. (hehe).

Rating? Slightly higher than the monotone TDTESS. I’d give 5.8/10. I’d give a flat 6/10 but Edward’s bright red, lipstick-covered lips and distinguishable hairdo distracted me all through out the movie.