This movie was stupid.

Thanks for the spoilers! I think I'll just pass on this one after that big reveal on the second show. Very underwhelmed. Just not my thing I guess.

To me, when you step back and look at it, the point made (which is a very clinical scientific way of looking at things) was to show that life/death/the universe/existence itself isn't a merciful or benevolent place or process. We may wish it were so, but it is not so. It just is what it is. Like nature. Everything that ever was or will be in the universe has its time and then it ends. Nothing sticks around forever, nothing can be saved from ending when its time is over, because it may be magnificent or unique. Nothing could save civilizations, cultures, the dinosaurs or countless other species from eventually going extinct, nor prevent other planets, solar systems, galaxies from ending.

Everything has its time, and then it ends.

To me, that is the underlying universal truth.

To be fair you're comparing a mini series to a big movie. I don't think sci fi has the same budget. I did like the series, but I understand people who don't. But I went into it knowing it would be adapted from a very old book(yes, I read the book), thus trying to modernize it. Also I think they were trying to make something for everyone, instead of "true" sci fi fans. I feel that is why they changed Stormgren into a farmer vs the UN Secretary General to make him more sympathetic so to speak.

Apachetears7...of course you are entitled to your views...one man's meat is another man's poison and all that...but I think you have missed quite a bit of the messages the series and the novel conveyed. You seem to have looked at the series superficially, expecting, perhaps an actioner movie with lots of bang, bang, smashe-em-ups and the like.

For a good close parallel to the book and the series go and watch (or re-watch) the 1951 version of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" starring Michael Rennie. It sort of says the same thing about earth and humanity in so much that any aliens out there may not really give a cracker about us unless we get star drive and start causing trouble out in the cosmos. Then maybe some aliens may want to help us grow out of our violent ways or some may want to "reduce your earth to a burned-out cinder" (I hope the Klaatu quote is right).

Personally I thought the entire series was extremely well made and a real turn around from the previous dross served up on the SyFy channel. It did compress a lot of the original book (which I recommend you read) but it had to or else we would have been looking at 20 or so two hour episodes.

There's so much going on in the series that I think you may have missed. The aliens look like the demons of our religions and mythology...but only because humanity, as it stepped up the evolutionary scales, gained more spiritual perceptions and had sort-of a collective premonition as to what was to come. Christians, for example, talk of the day of rapture...the dead rising from the graves...the children going to Jesus...the last judgement before the destruction of the physical earth. Perhaps Clarke was a devout Christian incognito...covered up by his science background.

But to me the most moving scene...one that apparently didn't move you at all...was the final ten minutes of the film. Milo elects to die (or maybe he doesn't die and his "spirit" lives on...who knows?) on earth and provide a guide to the Overlords as to what happens in the transition as they, themselves have been denied this from the Overmind. But Milo also stays behind to make a statement...and a beautiful one at that. "Here we are, all you other alien species...we were/ ARE a species called mankind and we climbed up from the evolutionary brine of the ocean to create art, music, culture and science. We rail at our passing but we know we are ascending to a new level of being". And then he asks Karellen for a favour...to allow one remnant of humanity to stand on in the great expanse of space where earth once hung majestic. And this was the kick in the guts moment for me because he asked for a piece of music to play on like a beacon of humanity in the great night. And what was that piece of music? "The Lark ASCENDING" by Ralph Vaughn Williams. Surely one of the most evocative and beautiful pieces of music humanity has ever produced. The Lark Ascending. Do you understand now?

Merry Christmas to you, friend.