Klaatu: Gort, Better Come Get Me (Again)

“The Power”  (1968)  —  movie review
Today’s review is for the SciFi thriller “The Power“, based on the novel of the same title written by Frank M. Robinson.  I read the book while a pre-teen / teen and I first saw this movie on TV some years after its theatrical release.  The movie stars George Hamilton as Prof. Jim Tanner (protagonist / project manager), Suzanne Pleshette as Prof. Margery Lansing (colleague, romantic insterest), Richard Carlson as N. E. Van Zandt (program director and everyone’s boss), Earl Holliman as Prof. Talbot Scott (colleague), Arthur O’Connell as Prof. Henry Hallson (colleague), Nehemiah Persoff as Prof. Carl Melnicker (colleague), Michael Rennie as Arthur Nordlund (someone from “the Government” who funds the program and project).
The basic plot is a team of scientist are researching the limits of human endurance (heat, cold, pain, etc.) when a “random” discovery of true supermen among us leads to the death of members of the research team.  The superman has telekinesis ability (he can move stuff without touching it), appear physically different to different people, make people imagine things, embed instructions for people to do things in the future, and, of course, he can kill people.  He is a sociopath who kills his own family before he leaves town as a young adult.
Blah, blah, blah…  The bad guy kills each member of the research team in turn making the deaths appear to be accidents (fire) or natural causes (heart failure).  More blah, blah…  Bad guy confronts the good guy for final showdown.  Wait for it…  Good guy wins and gets the girl.
Is this movie any good?  Is it a good SciFi movie?  Acting?  Drama?  Special effects?  And, do I recommend it?  It’s okay.  Dated, but still okay.  Tolerable acting (I’m not a Hamilton fan).  50’s to 60’s level action / drama.  Pretty good for its day and time.  Yes.
Any good?  –  This is a late 1960’s SciFi movie.  This movie is not meant to (or trying to) win any Oscars.  I remember the movie as being in black and white, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find it’s in color! It’s not up to the big three (my BIG three):  “The Blob” (1958), “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956) or “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951), but it was pretty good in its day (for us SciFi nerds anyway).
SciFi?  –  I don’t really think of this as a “SciFi” movie. I think is more of an early “mutant” / X-man” kind of thriller like “Village of the Damned” (1960).  I haven’t watched “VotD” in ages, so I’m hesitant to say one is significantly better than the other. “VotD” tries to explain how the mutants happened much better than “The Power“, but I think they wanted to stick to adult action and not fall into “dull” scientific exposition.  Mostly, because the whole concept of “mutants” would have been mostly outside of common knowledge.  The “X-man” comics were out, but I think most people thought of superpeople as either from another planet (“Superman”) or as a result of an accident (“Flash”, “Spider-Man”, etc.) and not in terms of mutation.
Acting?  –  Most of the actors in this film were pretty well known character actors at that time.  Pleashette obviously transcended the others with a long term role in the first Bob Newhart TV series which ran for six seasons in the 1970’s.  Hamilton was “famous” for being tanned and famous.  Seriously, he was one of the first “stars” I was aware of who was simply tanned and dashing.  I was surprised when I found he did a lot more work than I knew of (over 40 films and a similar number of TV appearances).  My personal favorite role was as a vampire in “Love At First Bite“.  That and this movie are the only two roles I really associate with his name.  And, of course, Michael Rennie is FAMOUS as the alien from “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951).  I think he should have been given a bigger role in this film, but, hey, “You’ve got to keep the camera on the money”, and Hamilton is the star of the film.
Special effects:  –  Okay, but good for it’s day.  I think the film “borrows” heavily from “The Twilight Zone” kind of effects (toy soldiers in a window display and a body turning into a skeleton as it rotates / falls in space), but the ending seems to me to be a precursor to Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark” ending.
Final recommendation:  moderate to good.  This is not a “classic” in anyone’s mind (but mine).  As mentioned, this is one of the first movies I saw in which I’d read the book first.  And, yes, it (the movie) suffered by comparison.  But I also learned something at an early age:  movies are the director’s interpretation of the original work, and, in the end, each (novel and movie) must stand and be evaluated on its own merit(s).  And, no, of course I didn’t realize I was “learning” that lesson at the time (my early teens).  LoL!  This movie is worth viewing just to see Rennie in another SciFi role.  I enjoyed re-watching it and will probably buy a copy if it becomes available at my price point ($5 or less).  I watched this movie for free (“with adverts”) on Tubi.
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On This Day In:
2022	Except To You
	The End Of Time
2021	Best To Be Trained And Educated
	The Great Relief (Darling Be Home Soon)
2020	Diversity And Uniqueness
2019	Ebb And Flow
2018	America: Paging #45
2017	Near By
2016	Maybe Someday
2015	How’s The Cow?
2014	Mind Made Up
2013	On Purpose
2012	The Dream
2011	What Could Be More Comfortable?

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Still Standing

Today’s movie review is for the SciFi classic:  “The Day The Earth Stood Still” (1951).  This movie starred Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal.  Basically, an alien spaceship lands in Washington, D.C. and the ship pilot – Klaatu, played by Rennie – announces he is here to deliver a message to all of Earth.  He is wounded, rushed to a hospital from which he escapes and then he moves into a boarding house where he attempts to learn about humans “first hand”.
At the boarding house he meets a single mother (Neal) and her son, who befriends the alien and gives him a tour of D.C.  While playing tourist, Klaatu sets out to meet the smartest man on Earth so the alien can convey his message.  Fade to much later…  Klaatu tells Mrs. Benson (Neal) that if anything happens to him she is to tell his robot / guard (Gort) the (now famous) line:  “Gort, Klaatu barada nikto.”  Klaatu is killed by the military.  Mrs. Benson delivers the message to Gort.  Gort recovers Klaatu’s body and brings him back to life using alien technology.
Klaatu delivers his message of warning to Earth’s scientists that the planet will be destroyed if we attempt to take our nuclear weapons into space.  He then says good-bye and leaves Earth.
The movie is about fear of the unknown and fairly anti-war.  As such, it was very much ahead of its time – this being the real beginning of the “cold war” period.  It has many “quaint” images in it.  I particularly enjoyed seeing the old style switchboards and operators.
I will always remember Rennie for his role in this movie and in my young mind it (the movie) defined SciFi for me for many years.  The only three equals (for me) were “Village of the Damned” (1960), “The Blob” (1958) and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956).  All four of these are excellent period SciFi movies and I would highly recommend any of them.
Final recommendation:  Highly Recommended!!  After 60 years, the movie still holds up well as SciFi and as a commentary on the United States at that time.  I guess we must have heeded the message of the movie as we have never tried to take our nuclear weapons into space.  More accurately, we’ve made no “serious” efforts to go to space.  This is not to denigrate the multiple craft we have sent to the ends of our solar system.  It is a criticism of the fact that we haven’t set foot on the moon in 40 years (1972).
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On This Day In:
2022	But Don’t Be A Rocking Horse
2021	Be Interesting
	Wonder What Is Wrong With Me
2020	To Our #IdiotInChief: Wear A Mask!
2019	Silent Purpose
2018	Just Bake The Cake, Man
2017	Visible Proof
2016	Poor Enough Means
2015	Still Standing
	Follow Your Heart
2014	Just Reminded
2013	A Fine Balance
2012	One Measure
2011	Seeking The Common Ground
	In Brightest Day…

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Fun To Play God

Over the weekend I discovered a new (to me) used book store.  The store is named:  Berkshire Books.  It turns out it’s been there just over ten years, but I don’t often get on that road and when I do, I tend to be looking the other way, so I just never saw it before.  Soooo, I popped in to see what’s up.  The store is pretty poorly lit and has that old book musty smell.  Now, to my taste, that’s bad and great.  There’s no place to sit because there are books everywhere – and I do mean everywhere.  To be honest, except for the lighting, I kinda felt like I’d died and when to heaven.  Anyway, the prices aren’t great, but they’re not too bad either.  I will definitely be going back, but not to buy stacks at a time like I can from the two dollar racks at my local Half-Price Books store.
My selection was an oldie, but a goodie:  “The Power“, written by Frank M. Robinson.  The original version is copywrited in 1956, while the revised version is 1999©.  I don’t think the book was intended to be a children’s book, but I first read it back in the mid-1960’s when I was around 11 or 12.  It is considered to be a “classic” of SciFi literature.  The book was adapted into a movie (released in 1968) which starred George Hamilton as the principal character and Michael Rennie (“Klaatu, Barada Nikto”) as the bad guy.  This was the first time I remember ever reading a book before seeing the movie and then being sharply disappointed that the movie didn’t live up to my imagination.
Anyhow, the book is about a team of scientists who discover there are “super” men among us who can control us physically (via telekinesis) and who can also implant thoughts and remove memories.  They also possess superior strength and reflexes themselves.  The main character must try to discover which team member is the super-man while living long enough to kill him.  Of course, all the while, the super-man is killing off the rest of the team.
When I found the book, I thought, “Wow!  This was from my childhood!“.  It wasn’t until later that I discovered it wasn’t the “same” book at all.  This was the “revised” version, basically the same, but updated with comments about Vietnam and the first Gulf War.  Did it make a difference?  Ultimately, I think it did.  As I read the book, I began to doubt my memories.  Some of the books passages prompted vivid memories – like when you eat or smell something and you’re instantly transported back to another place and time.  Other times, it was:  “Huh?“
I do believe the book is a legitimate classic in the SciFi genre, but I would say it is more of a young adult book than a mature adult book.  It is about 220 pages and a very fast read.  Highly recommended!
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On This Day In:
2023	Into Redemption
2022	A Little More Each Day
	Zappa-ed!!
2021	Every Time It Gets Better
	Distant! (How Do You Like Me Now?!)
2020	I’m Persuaded (Crystal Blue Persuasion)
2019	Hungry For Trust
2018	Mutual Assistance
2017	The Toughest Job
2016	Congratulations!!
	Better Yet, Read!
2015	Even If It Kills Us Slowly
2014	Fun To Play God
	Of Anything
2013	Legal (Almost)
2012	Great Scots!
2011	The GI Bill – A Simple History Lesson
	Breaking Even

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