Synopsis

Coldplay land on a strange planet and encounter a colossal robot lying dormant beneath the surface. After taking one of its control dials, they accidentally bring the machine back to life. The band performs for their enormous host before helping it return to its mountain-shaped resting place. Just as they prepare to leave in their flying saucer, the robot realizes that a dial is missing. It uses a tractor beam to capture the spacecraft, swallows the band and their ship, then calmly walks away whistling.

Factoids & Trivia

• Filming took place on November 5 and 6, 2005, at Ealing Studios in London, shortly before Coldplay began the European leg of the Twisted Logic Tour.

• The clip deliberately adopts the look of a black-and-white B-movie science-fiction adventure, complete with a flying saucer, an alien landscape, a giant mechanical creature, and exaggerated retro-futurist imagery.

• The 3D glasses worn by the band are more than a costume detail. The video uses red and blue stereoscopic edging, allowing parts of the image to produce a subtle anaglyphic 3D effect.

• The production was presented as an unusually enjoyable experience for the band. Behind-the-scenes material emphasized the playful atmosphere created by the science-fiction setting and the oversized 3D glasses.

• The strange writing seen on the robot is made from reversed lines of the song's lyrics, including the words about hearing people speak in a language the narrator does not understand.