65. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

A flying saucer appears from outer space and lands in Washington. Out comes a humanoid spaceman with a gift. The gift is quite pointy though, so a soldier shoots him. Turns out the gift was for the President and was a means of communicating with other planets. Broke now. Ah well!
The alien man, Klaatu, is fixed up in hospital so that's okay.
Klaatu is here with a warning. Be at peace, or face destruction. (Isn't irony ironic?!)

Robert Wise's sci-fi drama is very of it's time and isn't just another B-movie. It's anti-war message is very blatant and hit a nerve with the war weary audiences of its time.

Klaatu fails to win the trust of the world, but he does befriend a woman, her son and an Einstein-esque mad professor who organises some of the world's great thinkers to a conference with Klaatu, as the world's leaders are not so willing to. (Isn't science brilliant?!)

Here comes Gort. A 7ft tall indestructible robot with a very destructive eye laser. Quickly..."Gort, Klaatu, Barada, Niktoh!" Phew, that was close.

The film may seem clunky today, but they were very superior of the time. Effects certainly don't make a good movie as the dreadful Keanu Reeves remake proved.

It has many forgivable gaffes, but it stands out as the first popular adult sci-fi drama with a message, so a very worthy watch and Bernard Herrman's spooky soundtrack using 2 theramins, pretty much defined the music of sci-fi from thenceforth.