Why so much hype?

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The movie is great. But i think the Secretary of Defence should have died. She is the one who wanted destruction.

Keanu was a good choice for this, but he forced the role. If you're gonna play Klaatu, you need to be calm, cool, collected and not anxious. Reeves came off as a bit too emotional, too....human. Still, it's better than that monstrosity Cruise made of 'War of the Worlds'.

Something like this would happen in real life. Humanity is seriously overconfident in our military power, technology, way of life and we usually think we're special, and we can do anything we want, we're better than anyone/anything else. We are nothing like that. As the movie says, Earth is not OURS. Regarding roles... Keanu, Connelly, Cleese, Bates, Jaden (...) are all perfect, believable. Jaden's character was annoying, but had to be. A+Watch the movie.

This remakes in 1928 in India's Karakorum Mountains where a mountaineer discovers a strange sphere; he collapses and when he awakens he appears to be well but a tissue sample has been taken from his hand. Cutting to the present day astrobiologist Dr Helen Benson is taken from her home to a government facility where she, and other scientists, are told that an object has been detected and it is expected to impact in Manhattan. When it arrives it lands rather than impacts. It is a sphere and a being exits. As Helen nears the being one of the soldiers surrounding the site fires and injures it. Moments later a giant robot emerges and neutralises the threat. The alien being orders it to stop. It is then taken to a facility where the bullet is removed; here it becomes apparent that what people are seeing is the being's biological space suit; as it comes off we see the being; it looks human. After a short while he looks like the mountaineer. The being says he intends to address the United Nations but the US authorities instead plan to drug him before interrogation; Helen helps him escape and shortly afterwards they are reunited. The being tells her that his name is Klaatu and he is here to save the Earth… not humanity; he is here to save the planet from humanity. Helen is determined to persuade him that humanity can change; he isn't so sure about that and it might be too late anyway.It has been a few years since I saw the original version of this film so I can't compare them in detail… perhaps a good thing. Judged on its own this is a decent enough sci-fi film. The story is interesting and I liked the idea of an alien saving the Earth from humanity. I know some people aren't impressed by Keanu Reeves' performance as Klaatu but I rather liked his somewhat otherworldly depiction of the alien being. Jennifer Connelly gives a solid performance as Helen Benson and Kathy Bates is good as the US Secretary of Defence; the closest the film has to an antagonist although her motives aren't malicious. Jaden Smith is OK as Helen's young stepson although his character is annoying most of the time and to my mind detrimental to the film. The special effects were impressive; I particularly liked the metal bugs that ate New York! Overall I wouldn't call this a must see film but it is entertaining enough if you are a fan of the genre.