Movie Critique: The Day The Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still
The thoughts and ideas that The Day the Earth Stood Still portrays is very critical of American society at the time. This film starts with an alien spaceship landing from another world and Klattu, the alien that emerges has an important message for the entire world. The film goes on to show how cautious and strict Americans are with this alien.  While Klattu does not seem threatened or even concerned by the irrational behavior of the human race toward him he continues on his way calmly, exploring and learning more about our kind.
The attitude of Klattu is very stagnant and straightforward.  He is very determined to get his message to all the leaders of the world. While officials of the U.S. say that doing so would be impossible, he explains that their petty quarrels are not important in this time, considering the message he carries for the world. His repression of emotions in such a serious matter brings to light a strong point the film makes.  These emotions are only the cause of their own destruction; they are the cause for war, envy, societal disruption, etc. As Mark Jancovich puts it, "... it calls for the repression of individual feelings, interests, and desires, all of which are simply defined as both irrational and destructive. This repression is necessary in order to ensure the efficient running of a state which is not merely national or even international, but a fully 'universal' order. (Liquid Metal 333)"  Jancovich's quote hits Klattu's attitude and even the purpose of the whole movie's point right on the head.  Klattu doesn't care about borders or international problems.  He sees the earth as a whole and we are its inhabitants. There are no borders and no separations between humans or races. This idea of the earth being a whole and not individual states brings to light that perhaps our endeavors that we so often get caught up in are not so important. When it comes to the rest of the universe we waste our time on our little rock fighting with each other and making war while we could be advancing as an entire planet.
The common idea of emotionless and almost drone like aliens is very common to all sci-fi movies. It is this persona that is not only very socialistic but very "efficient" as some movies portray it. Jancovich explains Klattu's perspective on human emotion as this, "For Klattu, human emotions have no foundation or validity, and it is only rational thought which has any positive value. (Liquid Metal 333)"  This attitude that Klattu has is both socialistic (everyone being equal and the same) and very scientific. This is another major point the movie makes. Scientific, rational thought is the only solution to the world problems. It is our emotions and desires that interfere and cause problems for everyone. Therefore the problem that Klattu comes to solve is not that of war and societal problems, but rather the human race in general. It is ordinary everyday people that are the problem.  Science for example is not a dangerous thing, it is the use of it that can be dangerous.  He does not come to save the human race, he comes to save the Earth from the human race.  His idea of conforming to a universal order as his people have criticizes American politics as well as the rest of the world.  Maybe our idea of politics is not at all efficient or perhaps we have allowed our emotions to cloud our judgement.
Perhaps the ideas presented in this film are not practical or even ideal for our world but more of an idea of a stepping stone to the next stage of humanity. At the same time one can wonder, what if they can be practical? Movies and TV shows like Star Trek show the Earth as a whole single functioning society. While something like this cannot take place for a long time, maybe it is the solution to our ever changing world.