Avoiding Disaster: The Day the Earth Stood Still

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5 word format

document in English

film studies

school essay

published 19/11/2007

review : Completed

level : Advanced

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Summary

Disaster movies are often associated solely with cheap thrills; nothing more than vehicles for big explosions and even bigger budgets. The modern perception of this film genre (as well as its subgenres) seems to be nothing more than that of a means for movie studios to spend a lot of money, and make a lot in return. While it may be true that many disaster movies are, arguably, pieces of visually stunning, mindless entertainment constructed to garner large audiences, not all disaster movies are confined to this formula. Within the science-fiction films of the 1950’s and 1960’s—some of the most popular disaster films ever made—lay intricate, subtle (some subtler than others), and socially important themes that were extremely applicable to the times in which they were made. The vast majority of these films center around aliens invading Earth with the singular intent of destroying and/or usurping it. Science-fiction films such as The Thing From Another World (1951) and The War of the Worlds (1953) are examples of alien invasion/takeover movies that were at the top of the box office in their time. The plots of these “alien-domination” films, along with dozens of other science-fiction disaster movies made during this time period, are fundamentally similar; aliens are determined to take over the world. However, this seemingly simple formula was entrenched in an allegorical realism that, at the time, was based on very real concerns. The aliens within these films were symbolic of the “others” which Americans feared most in the 1950’s and 1960’s; the communists. The takeover of Earth by space creatures served as a fantastic analogy to the “imminent” threat the communists (specifically the Soviets) posed to Americans. These science-fiction disaster movies were able to tap into a common American threat, and proved to be extremely successful in exploiting this threat in order to sell movie tickets.

Amidst the flurry of 'aliens-as-invaders' films made during this time period, a few filmmakers decided to use the science-fiction medium to portray a drastically different set of ideals.
Disaster movies, and the sub-genres which exist within them, have always done well with audiences.
Previous films of the genre featured disasters'usually natural disasters'which endangered the lives of dozens, hundreds, and occasionally thousands of people.
This 'evil other' formula was, sadly, identifiable with Cold War audiences; therefore, this breed of disaster movie thrived.
The aliens in these films were portrayed as a force; an obstacle for humankind to overcome.
In The Day the Earth Stood Still, humankind is portrayed as the malevolent force.
Films like The Day the Earth Stood Still are vital in the furthering of film as an art form.
In recent years, the science-fiction disaster film has returned as a viable box office draw.
The genre of science-fiction/disaster films is often equated with evil alien predators who plot to destroy the Earth.