Dr Jekyll: Hello, my name is Dr Jekyll, or Dr J for short. This slightly hirsute chap with me is called Mr Hyde, or Mr H to his friends, of which he has none.

Mr Hyde: Grrrrrr.....

Dr J: I'm afraid he is in a bad mood today. The barber nicked him during his morning shave, although frankly, with that much hair on your face, you have to expect to lose a pint of blood or two every shave.

Mr H: GRRRR!!!

Dr J: Ok Ok, moving on. Our specialty is reviews, literature, films, games, you name it and we will review it. And later, Mr H will probably eat it. Due to our "peculiar" personalities, I tend to see the good in things whereas Mr H only sees the bad. For this hub, we are going to concentrate on the 2008 remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic, "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

Keanu Reeves, who is no stranger to science fiction movies, such as his role in the "Matrix" trilogy and his Oscar worthy turn in "Johnny Mnemonic", plays the pivotal role of "Klaatu". Klaatu is like an intergalactic headmaster come to see his unruly pupils misbehaving in the playground. This time, he lands his swirling marble spaceship in Central Park, naturally scaring the bejesus out of the uneducated locals (why do alien invasions always begin in Manhattan?). Watching this alien invasion is the beautiful Jennifer Connelly ("Beautiful Mind", "Labyrinth"), who plays a scientist...

Mr H: I stalked Jennifer Connelly for a while, when I realised I had a chance with her. She is married to the British actor Paul Bettany, so she must like us rough British types?

Dr J: Yes Mr H, but I'm told she prefers a man who doesn't have a 3 foot tail hanging out of the back of his trousers.

Mr H: Her loss...

Dr J: Indeed. Naturally the beautiful scientist makes an attachment with the powerful alien, helping him escape from the evil clutches of the US government, spear-headed by Kathy Bates ("Misery"). Soon they are both on the run, with Connelly's adopted son in tow, played by Will Smith's talented son Jaden Smith. On their travels, the motley group encounter a brilliant genius played by John Cleese, who helps to convince Klaatu that the Earth should not be "dehumanised" just because we have managed to pretty much spoil everything.

Mr H: Mr Hyde waited for Cleese to do a funny walk but he never did it. He never mentioned cheese... or spam... or the war. But nothing! He played it straight... and boring. Like the whole film!

Dr J: Oh dear, Mr H seems to be getting in a tizz! Well after being prodded and poked by a bunch of military type, Klaatu's protective robot, GORT, suddenly turns into a wave of human-destroying nano-insects, which consume any person or human made object in their path. Klaatu, Benson (Connelly's character) and her annoying son race to the spaceship, where of course, an outburst of humanity between Benson and her son (she forgives him for not eating his broccoli) forces Klaatu/Keanu to save the world, by err... touching his spaceship.

Mr H... hurry up!

Dr J: Well the good things. Connelly's performance as the strong and passionate Benson is reasonable, although she looks like she needs to eat more than once a week. The special effects are decent, which is expected when the film cost over $80 million and GORT looks more menacing as a 20ft plus robot than he did in the 1951 version. However...

Mr H: Keanu Keanu Klaatu Klaatu. What's the difference? Klaatu is more human! Really, when director Scott Derrickson told Keanu to play is stony-faced, he got a performance that resembled Mt Everest. Keanu Reeves is 44 years old now and is starting to show his age. He used to rely on his looks, just like I do, but now that acting skill is required, the cracks are starting to show. And not just the ones in his face!

Although Jaden Smith is proving to be a versatile child actor, his character becomes simply irritating and there were times when Mr H just wanted Connelly's character to leave the adolescent howling in the woods. Cleese looks like he is just waiting for his paycheck and I swear I saw a look of shame cross Kathy Bates' face. Someone hand her a sledgehammer. The dialogue is stilted and lacks emotion, the premis is interesting but flawed (not all humans are bad, just like me haha!). "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was disappointing and slightly boring and made me want to eat the seat in front of me. Which I did. And the fat man sitting in it.

Dr J: "The Day the Earth Stood Still", well time did stand still, 103 minutes seemed more like 200 minutes and it really wasn't worth the effort. Mr H was so upset I had to take him for a walk and use the extra thick metal restraining leash. I give this film a score of 4/10, for effort.

Mr H: Grrr I give this film 2 maulings out of a potential 10 maulings. Trust me, 10 maulings means I really like you!

FILM DETAILS: 103 mins, science fiction, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese. 20th Century FOX.