This 1951 movie, directed by Robert Wise, centers on an alien named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) who has been sent to Earth to tell its inhabitants that they must stop making war with one another or they will be destroyed by beings from other planets. Klaatu befriends a widow named Helen (Patricia Neal) and her son Bobby (Billy Gray), who help him spread his message. Klaatu's mission to bring peace to the planet is still affecting and Klaatu's robot sidekick Gort remains eerie. Do not mistake the 2008 remake starring Keau Reeves for this highly superior movie.
Turner Classic Movies writer John M. Miller wrote that the film "remains the one against which all of the other [1950s sci-fi movies] are measured... The film retains its power to this day, and the movie's message of peace also resonates."
Wise also directed the classic musical films "The Sound of Music" and "West Side Story."