It is understandable that film makers prefer to set the apocalypse in the only American conurbation that is recognizable—to international cinema-goers at least—as a city. (The original I Am Legend was set in Los Angeles, but the last year's movie was improved with Will Smith, computer-generated imagery and a Manhattan setting.) But New York has been destroyed so often recently that the suspense is draining from these plots. As soon as one sees the familiar profile of the Empire State Building, one knows something bad is going to happen. And one more thing: the city is in a delicate condition right now. We could have done without this trailer for The Day The Earth Stood Still, which shows bad things happening to Central Park, the Giants stadium, St. Patrick's Cathedral—and the city as a whole. More stills after the jump.