The Day the Earth Stood Still
In 2008’s The Day the Earth Stood Still, an alien named Klaatu (played by Keanu Reeves) arrives on Earth with a dire warning. A massive glowing sphere lands in Central Park, New York, carrying Klaatu and a giant robotic enforcer named GORT. The U.S. military reacts with hostility, shooting Klaatu shortly after his arrival and taking him into custody.
2025-03-17 10:13:22 - Disposable Movies
Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly), a scientist, is brought in to study him. She soon learns that Klaatu is part of an advanced alien race that sees humans as a danger to Earth. Instead of coming to destroy humanity directly, he has come to save the planet from humans—by eradicating them. Klaatu believes that if humans continue polluting and destroying Earth, they will leave it uninhabitable, so his mission is to wipe them out and allow nature to recover.
As military forces attempt to capture him, Klaatu escapes with Helen and her stepson Jacob (Jaden Smith). Helen tries to convince Klaatu that humanity is capable of change, but he remains skeptical. Meanwhile, GORT begins releasing a swarm of destructive nanobots that consume everything in their path, starting with military vehicles and spreading rapidly.
Through his experiences with Helen and Jacob, Klaatu begins to see the human capacity for compassion, sacrifice, and change. In a final act, he stops the nanobot destruction, but at a cost—he shuts down all human technology worldwide, bringing civilization to a standstill. This is humanity’s second chance to change its ways before it’s too late.