District 9

[girlbug2]

I just came back from the theater after seeing District 9. It's probably one of the best sci fi movies I've seen-good action, but also engages the mind and the spirit along with the special effects. The plot put a whole new spin on the concept of racism, who the good guys are and where should our loyalties lie. I have a feeling that this is one of those that will be at the back of my mind all week long.

Incidentally, I loved that it didn't take place in America--and for once, the "evil government entity" was something other than the United States military.

 

[Omar B]

I loved it too, another score in a month of good movies. It reminds me of when James Cameron did Aliens and brought such a fresh take to scifi.

 

[Rich Parsons]

I saw it Friday night and it was ok and sucky.

It was ok in that it had a plot and that it made you think and want to sympathize with the non normal group, but this is done in Enemy Mine and other movies as well. As to the racism, I like white man's plight which did a role reversal and it did it well.

But the movie sucked as I had to close my eyes because of the shaky camera work. I absolutely hate this form of film making. I would prefer to give a camera to a two year old and watch the results then spend money and see that. It hurt my eyes, and I had a headache. Yes it has been over 24 hours, but I waited so as to not have an even harsher response.

No matter how good the plot, if you cannot communicate your point visually in a movie then you have lost your point.

 

[girlbug2]

This is beginning to look like one of those "love it or hate it" things. To each his own.

 

[girlbug2]

The "mocumentary" news special report style in the first 15 minutes or so; I wasn't crazy about it, kept hoping the rest of the film would be a more "normal" style (it eventually reverted out of news special report mode, although the shaky camera style remained). But after thinking about it, I realized it was a good device to set up the audience for the main character's dilemma. We get to be the "people at home watching the telly" and see it from the world's POV, feel what it is like to be in the racist/bigoted camp first, then we get a chance to radically switch sides if we are so inclined later. A good manipulation on the part of the director. His point was well taken.

 

[Tez3]

Ah American English...at first I thought the OP had gone to see a play as she said she'd gone to the theatre so it was unlikely I'd get to see it, took me a couple of other posts to realise she went to see a film. We never watch films in theatres you see as they only have stages for live performances, we go to the cinema.Oh well looks like I might get to see it after all!

 

[arnisador]

Thanks for the reviews (and not spoiling the ending) as I am very intrigued by this film but wanted to see if they managed to pull it off or not before going!

 

[girlbug2]

Ah American English...at first I thought the OP had gone to see a play as she said she'd gone to the theatre so it was unlikely I'd get to see it, took me a couple of other posts to realise she went to see a film. We never watch films in theatres you see as they only have stages for live performances, we go to the cinema.Oh well looks like I might get to see it after all!

Oops, sorry. I really should have said "cinema". My American is almost as bad as my English.

 

[Tames D]

Oops, sorry. I really should have said "cinema". My American is almost as bad as my English.

Actually, I think you were correct in saying theater. Here in the States, films are shown in movie theaters.

On a side note, I'm happy you enjoyed the film. Athough I didn't work on this particular film, it was produced by the company I work for.

 

[blindsage]

Theater or movies is correct colloquially (though cinema isn't 'wrong'). In American lingo, 'cinema' is usually more of an academic term like film, i.e. you go the the movies or the theater, you study cinema or film.

 

[arnisador]

I saw District 9 last night. It had some great ideas but was ultimately a disappointment. It came across too much like a combination of Alien Nation and The Fly and all the gore seemed unnecessary.

 

[Cryozombie]

*yaaaaaaaawwwwwwn* Boring.

 

[zDom]

I liked the film.

There were, however, some SERIOUS story problems.



Spoilers to follow:

















• The Prawns fuel ...ALSO changes DNA in creatures who are exposed to it to match theirs? ... Really?

(nevermind that I think the "exposed to substance/changes DNA --> body transforms into new form" thing is tired and things simply don't happen that way... do they?)

• Ok, so: "the liquid" (fuel/DNA changing agent) comes from Prawn technology... which all arrived on the mothership with them... but they wait until they are moved from their ship and their technology is scattered in earthbound junkyards before gathering it up to fill a Prawn gascan (as opposed to just gathering the fuel from their technology aboard their ship?) and refuel the command module.. which fell why? and all it took to restore the command module to its place on the mothership was some fuel?

Sooooo... why did it fall in the first place?

• Christopher and his one friend and his son are the ONLY Prawns out of 1.8 million interested in gathering up enough fuel to go home? Really?


• Ok, so Prawns have Superguns. But they let Earthlings cut into their ship, and move them down to the ghetto.

a) Why did they not defend themselves in the mothership?

b) How did the weapons (and other Prawn tech) get down to earth in the hands of the Prawns? If they were being moved, did the Earthling handlers not notice the bazooka-sized gun Prawns were carrying?

c) Ignoring a and b, they are in the ghetto, with superguns, trading them to Nigerians for catfood ... why not just TAKE the catfood from the Nigerians at gunpoint? Or, instead of being treated poorly by South African Earthlings, set up a perimeter with their superguns and.. bah. Nevermind.



I think they could have done a better job on the script coming up with plausible reasons why the mothership stopped, was inoperable, was fixable after a period of time; and why/how the Prawn ended up in a refugee camp even though the race has superior weaponry and sufficient numbers to defend themselves against ill treatment.

Maybe, for example, a ruling class and working class? Or, the ship was a slave hauler and the slaves revolted and managed to trap the slavers in a small area, creating a standoff? (slavers can't leave the area — which happens to be the kitchen/pantry, slaves can't get in, slaves begin starving so they allow themselves to be offloaded to Earth?)

Then the slavers start sending small sorties down to earth in an attempt to regain the "keys" to the mothership from the earthbound slaves in the ghetto? (as a plot device to introduce the alien weaponry the filmmakers obviously want to be included in the film).

Chris, with captured weaponry from a sortie they overcome, now has the means to enter the blockaded section of the ship (maybe the slavers are now about starved out?) to take the ship home?

Yea, maybe needs some work — but I came up with this off the cuff.


My point is, come up with PLAUSIBLE storylines and you end up with a better film.

But I did enjoy it. I hope they do come up with a decent sequel.

 

[arnisador]

SPOILERS:

• The Prawns fuel ...ALSO changes DNA in creatures who are exposed to it to match theirs? ... Really?

Yeah, that made no sense at all. It makes the fluid magic, not technology.

Sooooo... why did it fall in the first place?

I was OK with this--something bad happened and we don't know what it was. They were starving on the ship. We don't know what happened!

Christopher and his one friend and his son are the ONLY Prawns out of 1.8 million interested in gathering up enough fuel to go home? Really?

The documentary had one talking head saying that these were workers, not leaders, and needed to be told what to do. I assumed that C.J. was the sole, or one of the few, surviving leaders/officers.

Or, the ship was a slave hauler and the slaves revolted and managed to trap the slavers in a small area, creating a standoff?

It was too Alien Nation meets The Fly already. This would have made it a total Alien Nation rip-off!

 

[shesulsa]

SPOILERS:
















































I gotta say, ANYONE who saw The Fly would have had serious issues with the fingernail and arm scenes. When he pulled off the nails, I *almost* left.