TO Keanu Reeves he loves science fiction. He’s been passionate about the genre since childhood, and for a reason that goes along with the kind, zen-like flashback that his fans (and the world in general) love. According to him, she told the BBC a couple of years ago he likes the stories of sci fi because “They examine the world we live in.”. However, the love for these types of stories did not always play in his favor. Nor for the director who worked with him long before he john wick gift him his renaissance as an action hero.
Anyone who knows his filmography knows that Keanu Reeves he embodied his passion in different works. For example, as a time traveler in the sitcom Bill and Ted’s Magnificent Adventure (1989), devilish suggestions in The devil’s lawyer (1997), his take on the DC Comics Exorcist in Constantine (2005), the dose of fantasy in his love story with Sandra Bullock in The lake House (2006) or, of course, having been the ‘chosen’ in a primary exponent of the genre as it was Matrix. But there was another movie. A production that received such bad reviews that the actor spent six years away from success, and the director scott derrickson he was unemployed for a couple of years. And all because of The day the earth stood still (2008).
This remake based on the 1951 film of the same name told the story of Klaatu (Reeves), an alien who came to our planet with the intention of warning humanity about the destruction we were causing. And while the original film expanded the popular fear of the Cold War by proposing an allegory about nuclear wars, in this modernized version it spoke of environmental protection. The film was a box office success thanks to the power of attraction that Keanu Reeves had for the science fiction genre after the phenomenon dragged by matrix. It grossed $233 million on a decent budget of $80 million. However, she failed to leave a mark and critics destroyed her, especially pointing out the incoherence of the story and the protagonist’s empty interpretation of it.
For example, the film still holds a 20% disapproval rating on the review collector. Rotten Tomatoes, while the public barely gave him 27%. And with all the reason of the world. The day the earth stood still (which you can currently find in the Star+ catalog) was a movie that you practically forgot when you left the theater. The climate warning message was clear but the plot lacked attractive elements that would make it irresistible or minimally recommendable. And between Keanu Reeves’ emotionless character, weak script holes, and special effects that left a lot to be desired, it ended up being one of the most forgettable movies of 2008.
Scott Derrickson described that shoot as “a horrible experience”, revealing to SlashFilm that the bad result left him separated from the film industry. “It was a horrible experience and the movie didn’t turn out well. Well, it turned out okay in some places at least. But it was one of those movies where it didn’t turn out as well as it should for many reasons, the main one being the writers’ strike. After that movie, I couldn’t work as a director for almost two years.” counted. Indeed, the film was shot between December 2007 and March 2008, coinciding with the writers’ strike that complicated the development of many productions in Hollywood.
The day the earth stood still It was the first blockbuster for Scott Derrickson, who had turned heads with his first studio film three years earlier, Emily Rose’s exorcism (2005). However, the criticism was so harsh that apparently, and according to his words, he was unemployed and exiled for a while. He had to arm himself with patience but also be selective so as not to make mistakes again and, in the time that passed, he refused to direct the sequel to the ghost avenger of Nicolas Cage, until he finally directed his next feature film. four years after The day the earth stood still.
What he did was return to the horror movies that he knew so well with sinister (2012), shooting it with a budget of less than $3 million, convincing critics and lovers of the genre with a gross of $87 million. Thanks to this proposal about a true crime writer obsessed with a new story, she managed to redirect her path in Hollywood, directing deliver us from evil (2014) two years later and getting Marvel to knock on his door offering him Doctor Strange (2016). Most recently she returned to the horror genre with the acclaimed the black phone (2022).
For his part, Keanu Reeves he had to arm himself with even more patience. Because The day the earth stood still It could well be defined as the biggest setback of his career. And it is that although it obtained good box office results, the negative reaction of the critics resounded enough to trigger the alarms. Or at least that is the reflection that we get when we observe what came next.
The day the earth stood still he had gotten Keanu Reeves out of what became known as “Fox jail.” As the actor told G.Q.the studio had banished him from its schedule for 10 years after he refused to participate in Top speed 2. “I didn’t get to be on it. Well, I decided not to be in it.” told Jimmy Kimmel in 2015 (via ew). “I loved working with [el director] Jan de Bont and Sandra, of course. It was just a life situation where I got the script, read it, and thought, ‘Whew. It was about a ship and I was like, ‘A bus, a ship… Speed, bus, but then a ship is even slower than a bus and I was like, ‘I love you guys, but I just can’t do it.’”
The truth is that he didn’t need the studio either, releasing or filming films practically without a break. However, the opportunity ended up causing an exile similar to the one experienced by the director, starting a bad streak that resulted in feature films that went completely unnoticed -such as Pippa Lee’s private life either Henry’s crime – until he opted for his return to action.
He did it with two films that were released almost at the same time and that used his mastery in martial arts as an infallible show: The power of Tai Chi and The Legend of the Samurai – 47 Ronin. Were they blockbusters? No, actually, they generated losses (Source: The-Numbers). Were they praised by critics? Not at all. The power of Tai Chi it came out more graceful but it did not obtain unanimous applause either. But even so they served as a prelude to the new chapter of his career as a lethal action hero.
Because these two films reminded the world of his talent and visual wizardry for the genre and, a year later, he touched glory as the revenge-seeking hitman of john wick. Word of mouth took care of the rest and right now, 15 years after The day the earth stood stillwe can witness the fourth installment now available on the billboard.
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