Good start, but then it gets ruined

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

An early sci-fi masterpiece. Manages to tell an intriguing story about a different kind of alien invasion, without relying heavily on action, but rather using atmosphere and characters to entice you. Gort and the phrase "Klaatu Barada Nikto" have become part of the popular culture! Must watch for any sci-fi enthusiast.

Unfortunatelly l wait too long to see this magnificent Masterpiece on TV,just in 1995,how l love sci-fi movies this one suprise me about your nature of anti-war aproach,totally unique.a brand new idea made this picture a instant classic,the stunning music score in opening credits is beyond this world,put aside all this the new face Michael Rennie works too much as stranger proven a right choice...but who really shines is Gort the robot,the main character...simple but remarkable,became a legend!! l have a Cinema Reserve double DVD with a lot of bonus,now waiting for Blu-ray format to see in high definition!!Resume:First watch: 1995 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 10

A space ship comes to earth and it's sole occupant has a warning.Stop the violence or the planet will be destroyed.An hour and a half later he leaves,telling the earthlings that they will be waiting for earth's answer to whether or not they will stop the violence. What?!?!?! Earth is supposed to contact you?How?At the beginning he had something that would have let the earthlings communicate with the rest of the universe but he pulled it out like it was a weapon and an army guy shot it.Was there a second one? Most of the movie is spent showing how little the alien knows about earth,while the rest is spent showing how much he does know about earth. He knows about the UN but doesn't know who Abraham Lincoln is, a lot of that type of stuff. The plot had great potential but falls flat by not having any substance or a real ending.

Directed by Robert Wise, with a screenplay by Edmund North that was based on a story by Harry Bates, this above average sci-fi thriller was added to the National Film Registry in 1995.The drama, which begins with a flying saucer landing in Washington D.C., involves an alien visitor named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) who, along with his bodyguard robot Gort (Lock Martin), has come to Earth shortly after our World had entered the nuclear age to advise us about peace and warn us about our own destructive aggression.Predictably, Klaatu is shot which, though it's somewhat accidental, causes Gort to exhibit his powerful ability (a heat ray) to annihilate our soldiers, their weapons and tanks. Klaatu is taken to a hospital where he recovers and then escapes, adopting the name Carpenter to walk anonymously among 'us' and learn more about Earth and its residents.Through widow Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), and her son Bobby (Billy Gray), Carpenter gets a sense of human nature which includes kindness, but events eventually lead to another confrontation and Helen's utterance of the classic line "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!".Hugh Marlowe plays Helen's boyfriend Tom Stevens and Sam Jaffe plays Professor Jacob Barnhardt, the brilliant scientist who (naturally) seeks greater understanding. A young Stuart Whitman is recognizable (in his second movie role) as an uncredited Army sentry.#82 on AFI's 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.