Be non-violent -- or I'll kill you.

I really don't like the implications inherent in this movie, especially the end. Willing subservience to robot overlords. O, but wait, they still control the robots, obviously. Or do they? Someone's on top. Someone, some group is controlling these invincible robots. Whoever this group is, they impose their will on the rest of the galaxy. Unless it's the robots governing themselves, which beings a whole new bag of problems into the mix.

Oh, but wait, their will is only that of enforcing PEACE

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the whole war is bad message thing in there. But the fact that it's a forced peace, entirely involuntary, means that they're taking away a measure of our free will, choosing our own path. I'd rather die than have humanity stifled in some way. fighting is a part of being human. the ability to struggle against enemies, against the unknown.

Oh, but wait, they just want to prevent HUMAN nuclear wars from hurting other species. That's why he said they didn't come earlier, because humans didn't pose a threat to others before then.

yeah, they don't care what humanity does, as long as it's not played out on the larger galactic arena. how are arguments played out, then? It's ludicrous that having these super invincible cops everywhere would engender such goodwill on the part of every sentient race in the galaxy that no arguments would ever take place. All their prevalence would do is bring the arts of assassination and sabotage to hitherto unknown levels of precedence.

and another thing: if they have the tech to build theses invincible robots, they have the tech to destroy them. unless they said "ok, this is as far as were going to progress at a technological base," in which case even technological progression must be stifled in the wake of the all encompassing robot overlords. And before you say that not all tech is geared towards warfare, let me say this: screw you, everything can be used as a weapon. Any sort of energy source, any sort of resource, can be put to use as a weapon.

tl;dr the presence and utilization of these super robots is ridiculous in more ways than one, and their very presence is an affront to any living creature.

Two ways the robots are: they are learning, living, sentient creatures, and as such they are just as susceptible as organics to corruption and decay (the movie more or less states that the viciousness of humanity isn't exactly unique), or they are heartless, purely logical in every sense of the word, and slaves to their programming. in case 1, i would hope that the flaws inherent would be obvious. in case 2, who programs them? what happens when a situation develops with which they are not programmed to handle? As life grows in the galaxy, the robots only stay static. They become a threat to any sort of progress. Any.

Not only that, but the movie was really preachy and I wanted to punch klaatu's smarmy, smug face in.

To OP. Isn't that was the superpowers used to do in the cold war and what the USA does today? Telling other countries what to do and be good or they'll be destroyed. I guess you have no trouble with that.

For your info I'd much rather side with Klaatu than most of the simpleminded paranoid humans he encountered. Would you have prefered if Klaatu didn't adress all the serious issues humanity had? Well??

God, I just fuggin' hated Klaatu from the moment he opened his mouth. Every smug, condescending word made me want to punch him more. And when he got to his solution, I just knew it was coming, because that's the kind of movie this is, I could tell.
by - mynameiskenny on Fri Nov 10 2006 06:17:22
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Yeah.... among other things.

The movie is also dramtically inert & lifeless. It's totally padded. It puts me to sleep. Patricia O'Neal is more terrifying than Kraapu the space annoyance.

No, this is you threatening your neighbours family because he and his wife are having a fight and he might hit her or her hit him.

This *beep* isn't in your backyard or even threatening your backyard. I'm not quite sure why you would think the husband would come over and kill your family after beating up on his wife? He dosn't even know your name, let alone have any intention of even setting foot on your lawn.

That kind of idiocy is only carried out in real life by those who think "we are trying to be safe, stop threatening us or well kill you". That type of *beep* caused the Cold War, not "us ignorant humans being idiots". It was the *beep* of "hey, we dont want them killing us even though they are no threat at all and are trying to sort their own *beep* out, so well threaten them to stop...whoops, they didnt like that, and are now threatening us to, I guess they were a threat all along".

Does 'might make right'? You can bellyache about Klaatu's moral basis all you want. Getting things into perspective, it just doesn't matter because he has a means to eliminate Earth and he isn't bluffing.

After his reception here, we are all fortunate he postponed the incineration.

--- CHAS

As other's have said, Klaatu was speaking for Gort. He was not asking the human race to give up all of their freedoms—just not to point nukes at other planets.

Initially, Klaatu had no interest or sympathy with earth. After being shot and detained, it would be hard not to feel resentment. It's clear that his attitude is changed, however, by his interaction with Helen, Bobby and Professor Barnhardt. After Klaatu's peaceful demonstration, which only enraged the planet into deeming a threat, I think Klaatu, at least in part, worried for the fate of the human race. He can see that it is not all bad—that is has some hope.

Gort's system works because most sentient beings are selfish and only make changes when there is a serious threat. If it weren't for the fuel crisis and environmentalism, energy production and transportation wouldn't likely change for the better. If it weren't for the threat of eternal condemnation from God, fewer people would behave or do good.

What's hypocritical are films like The Fifth Element, which actually seem to turn violence and killing into glory and even humor despite the movie's central theme. That's probably what the remake will be like.

I though that was pretty funny.

Yes it is horrifying. What's wrong with a science fiction movie having a horrifying premise? He came to deliver a message and the first thing that happened was that he got shot and later killed. What he really told them was not to endanger other beings in the universe or we will simply eliminate you. Klaatu didn't say he was Jesus, some other people did. Personally, I missed the parallels, except I can see maybe 'rising from the dead' but that's about it. I don't think we are supposed to 'like' Klaatu as much as believe him.