D-9

I want it so much to be the benchmark for Sci-Fi for years to come.

The SFX didn't steal the show, didn't draw away from the characters - only really made the plot seem reasonable.

Personally I loved the entire film and thought the doco style blended well into the third act of the film.
 
this movie ****ing rules...peter jackson is my new hero
 
Welp, ****ing amazing. Anything else I could say has already been said. Go see this shit immediately.
 
KineticAesthetic said:


I I sincerely hope it stands up to a slightly higher level of scrutiny.
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Well, the bio-capsule thing never made much sense. It was never really explained as to why it had the properties to cause the mutation.

I can understand that, perhaps the fuel inside of it had to be part alien in order for the ship to run, but it still didn't make much sense as to why it was able to do that to the main character.
 
zombieturtle01 said:
Well, the bio-capsule thing never made much sense. It was never really explained as to why it had the properties to cause the mutation.

I can understand that, perhaps the fuel inside of it had to be part alien in order for the ship to run, but it still didn't make much sense as to why it was able to do that to the main character.
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ANSWERIN WITH A SPOILER

Well I think we have to assume that it DEFINITELY has the alien DNA in it because it seems this is how they interface with all of their technology. When Christopher see's Wikus's arm he doesn't seem that surprised when he says "Only one thing would do that" so it seems theres some serious genetic shit going on with the liquid itself
 
****ing fantastic movie. If the raving going on in the past few posts still havent convinced you to see it, then let this post be the final one before you rush out to see it. Definitely one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I had no idea what it was about really, except that it was hyped up a lot and had aliens. So, so glad I went to see it.

I dont get it though, there was practically nobody in the theater with us. There was 15 of us who went to see it, and we made up over a third of the audience. Was it like that for anyone else? Also, there were only white people in the theater besides the people in our group, wtf. That never, never ever happens in this theater.

@ZT
I was wondering about that as well. At first I thought that maybe it was a defense mechanism built into the device holding the fluid, but then Christopher Johnson said that he would need to use all the fluid to fly quickly home, implying that he would have used the fluid to heal Wikus, implying that the fluid is what caused it in the first place. I dont think that aspect was very well thought out, and may have been intentionally done since they left it really vague (i mean, the just call it "fluid," how much more vague can you get).

Also, the only part I didnt like about the movie was at the end when he was in the mech and yelling at the soldiers. It seemed really out of place for his character, and it also was really corny, subpar insults. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! RAWR IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!"

EDIT: Or what Adrik said. That makes some sense.
 
Adrik_Senturu said:
ANSWERIN WITH A SPOILER

Well I think we have to assume that it DEFINITELY has the alien DNA in it because it seems this is how they interface with all of their technology. When Christopher see's Wikus's arm he doesn't seem that surprised when he says "Only one thing would do that" so it seems theres some serious genetic shit going on with the liquid itself
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MORE SPOILERS

It seems kinda weird though that it's like 'HERE'S SOME ALIEN GUNK ALL IN YOUR FACE' and then his arm turns alien first. Iunno. I guess it was just... Necessary.
 
This movie was ****ing amazing. Best i've seen in YEARS.
100/10.
I loved the gravity gun and
What about that ending with the rose that the alien gave his wife? I'm pretty sure that was him. Do you think there'll be a sequel?
 
KineticAesthetic said:
MORE SPOILERS

It seems kinda weird though that it's like 'HERE'S SOME ALIEN GUNK ALL IN YOUR FACE' and then his arm turns alien first. Iunno. I guess it was just... Necessary.
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SO MANY SPOILERS

I could be wrong, but I just kind of assumed that since his arm was healing from being all banged up, for some reason the DNA decided to manifest itself there quicker then anywhere else. I mean the effects were happening pretty quickly, what with the nails coming off, teeth, skin peeling.
 
Also - who wants a sequel?

Maybe with the Prawn-like Wikus being the leader of the underground in D-10
 
When I close my eyes I see spoiler tags

GordonFreeman911 said:
What about that ending with the rose that the alien gave his wife? I'm pretty sure that was him. Do you think there'll be a sequel?
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Part of me wants a sequel, and the other part doesn't. Logically, it shouldn't have a sequel. I appreciate whole, if slightly unfinished narratives.
Adrik_Senturu said:
I could be wrong, but I just kind of assumed that since his arm was healing from being all banged up, for some reason the DNA decided to manifest itself there quicker then anywhere else. I mean the effects were happening pretty quickly, what with the nails coming off, teeth, skin peeling.
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That is a very good point, I hadn't thought of that. The open wounds, as well as his mouth, would have been the first parts to come in contact with the liquid?

SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
 
Yeah I feel like a sequel would kind of cheapen the whole thing. I reaaaally liked the ending.

Wikus's whole transformation over the movie really reminded me of The Fly and how you kept watching to find out how far the transformation would be gone when you next saw him.

Also something that wont be in a spoiler box, but god damn the CGI in this movie was at times downright incredible. Avatar better inject liquid awesome into my eyes because this just set the bar pretty high for me.
 
I would agree, but it felt like a lot of the time they were just using high contrast/shakycam to disguise it, which may be a bit cynical of me? Also, there were some incredible CGI scenes of the prawns RIGHT THERE, but there were also a few that I could pick as being a bit iffy. Of course I can't remember them at the moment.
 
Yeah the movie had its iffy parts
with the Mech scenes mostly
but I felt like the prawns for the most part were incredibly well done and it felt like they were there interacting with the world around them.
 
I swear I saw a prawn holding a teddy bear once...
 
KineticAesthetic said:
I would agree, but it felt like a lot of the time they were just using high contrast/shakycam to disguise it, which may be a bit cynical of me? Also, there were some incredible CGI scenes of the prawns RIGHT THERE, but there were also a few that I could pick as being a bit iffy. Of course I can't remember them at the moment.
Click to expand...

It was some of the best CG work I have ever seen, and I have seen A LOT. I'm definitely getting the bluray version when it comes out and going frame by frame over it. And Shaky cam does not at all help cgi. In most cases, it makes the cgi look worse. And the movie as a whole wasnt very contrasty at all. It was lots of haze and dust which gave it a very even tone. At any rate, i'm willing to say its the best CGI i have ever seen.
 
Krynn72 said:
It was some of the best CG work I have ever seen, and I have seen A LOT. I'm definitely getting the bluray version when it comes out and going frame by frame over it. And Shaky cam does not at all help cgi. In most cases, it makes the cgi look worse. And the movie as a whole wasnt very contrasty at all. It was lots of haze and dust which gave it a very even tone. At any rate, i'm willing to say its the best CGI i have ever seen.
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Budget was $30 million according to imdb; it looked like it cost at least ten times more.
 
Agreed. Simply amazing. I would agree that it is the Alien of our generation, even though I still love the original Alien, this feels fresher and has the same level of gore and suspense.

It would be amazing if Valve could get Neill Blomkamp to direct the Half-Life movie. I can just imagine how well he could animate dog and the vorts...I shouldn't get my hopes up... :)
 
Although it was already planned from the original short film, I am glad the aliens looked unappealing/creepy to most of the general audience. It pushed in that idea that you'd...er, have less sympathy to something that doesn't resemble a human.


(Aside from the eyes and the cute little child prawn)


I however think even Xenomorphs are cute, so...
 
wewantsthering said:
Agreed. Simply amazing. I would agree that it is the Alien of our generation, even though I still love the original Alien, this feels fresher and has the same level of gore and suspense.

It would be amazing if Valve could get Neill Blomkamp to direct the Half-Life movie. I can just imagine how well he could animate dog and the vorts...I shouldn't get my hopes up... :)
Click to expand...

:eek:

That's taking things a little too far don't you think?

I enjoyed the film, it was interesting and something new..... at first.

Then it just piled on the cliches and became any other "man-on-the-run" film I'd seen. It was definitely a more original take on things but once it became about Wilkes being used as a weapon you knew he was going to escape, join the aliens, fight back, kill that colonel and he was definitely going to pair up with that red vested alien, Christopher. The only thing I couldn't predict would be that the alien Christopher had some way of healing him.

It's a shame too because the short film was something truly original and it got picked apart and became any other blockbuster.
Saying that it's the new Alien makes me want to point out what monster were before Alien came along. They were pure shit. Cheesy films where the only scare came from the zoom into the monsters face as it struck its victim. Alien terrified people not only because it was about an unseen predator devouring people from the shadows, but also because there was the chance it would also rape you before killing you. Think about it. You got the face-huggers, that's oral-rape right there (it forces itself into your mouth so it can lay eggs in your stomach. Rapity-rape-rape). Not to mention the only female crew member killed in Alien gets the tail up there before it kills her. And finally the whole design of the Alien is incredibly phallic.

Alien did those kind of things when horror films hadn't done them before. It was directed masterfully and rightfully deserves its spot as a sci-fi/horror masterpiece.

District 9 on the other hand lacks all and any of that mastery. That's not to say it's not a good film (as I thought it was), but to say its on the same level as Alien is giving it too much credit. There's way too many close-ups (to the point where when they should be used it doesn't have the same relevance/impact it would in another film) and some really bad acting from... almost all of the supporting cast, particularly the wife and finally the transition from documentary footage to the 'real' is clumsy at times. As for the social commentary, that was incredibly unsophisticated and about as far from subtle as you could be. "Oh I get it, the aliens are like refugees and this is like the apartheid. This film is clearly smart." Bollocks to that. If can pick up that social commentary in the ads for the film, it's poorly done social commentary and very blunt film-making. I'll give it credit for trying but that's about it.

It's not a bad movie, but its far from the revelation everyone claims it to be. Like this review says:
Baltimore Sun said:
It's a bad joke that "District 9" will be hailed for its "originality."
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Sparta said:
There's way too many close-ups (to the point where when they should be used it doesn't have the same relevance/impact it would in another film)
Click to expand...

That's kind of a dumb complaint, because the purpose of the Prawns is not the same purpose of aliens in a horror film. The purpose in this film is not to mask them in darkness or mystery, but to show them and their lives to give you a real feeling of what it would be like having alien lifeforms living in a local ghetto.


Anyways, comparing the two films is retarded, because they are nothing alike aside from them having aliens.

It's like comparing 28 Days Later to Brain Dead or something.
 
zombieturtle01 said:
That's kind of a dumb complaint, because the purpose of the Prawns is not the same purpose of aliens in a horror film. The purpose in this film is not to mask them in darkness or mystery, but to show them and their lives to give you a real feeling of what it would be like having alien lifeforms living in a local ghetto.

Anyways, comparing the two films is retarded, because they are nothing alike aside from them having aliens.

It's like comparing 28 Days Later to Brain Dead or something.
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My response regarding Alien was to wewantsthering, so...yeah, I agree, comparing the two films is retarded because they are nothing alike besides having aliens. One is a sci-fi and horror benchmark, the other is a blockbuster that is pretty fun.

Also, you assume I meant that I was talking about close-ups on the aliens for the purpose of being frightening. I should've been clearer as that has nothing to do with my complaint.

There is a subconscious relationship in film, where the audience becomes more emotionally attached to a character in a scene depending on the distance to the character according to the shot. If the camera is closer, it's more intense and more dramatic. That's why whenever some form of overly emotional or dramatic scene, confrontation or climax occurs in a film, they'll feature important close-ups.

Take these for example: In United 93, close-ups are used when the passengers leave phone messages for their loved ones as they're about to try and take over the plane, knowing they'll probably die. This is great use of a close-up. It's a highly emotional scene and allows yourself to empathise and sympathise at exactly the right time to ellicit the most powerful emotions in the scene.

Or this: Al Pacino revealing his plan to kill the police chief and opposing mafia boss in the restaraunt in The Godfather. The camera starts off in a mid-shot and dollies into to a close-up. It's a turning point for Michael Corleone. He's no longer the moral compass and crusader of the family. He's now a calculated killer, seeking revenge for his father. This is the perfect use of a close-up.

In District 9, close-ups are used for when Wilkes gets up after being knocked down for the first time by the alien in the yellow vest. It serves no purpose. This is commonly done throughout the film, and by the end of it, the shot itself has hardly any of the emotional impact it otherwise would.

That's why you don't use close-ups like that.
 
I really don't agree with the whole "another man on the run thing"

Only because through about 75% of the movie Wikus is kind of a dick. He's really only helping Christopher on the basis that he's going to be changed back to normal. When he hears the whole "3 years" thing he decides he's more important then christopher going home. Hell even when he's in the Mech he almost lets Christopher be killed. I really don't think you can say it's your typical action movie when the protagonist can come off as very unlikeable for alot of the movie
 
Adrik_Senturu said:
I really don't agree with the whole "another man on the run thing"
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But he's still empathetic because he's on the run, isn't he? He's thrown into a situation beyond his control and he has to fight for his survival, escaping authorities all the while when he was just doing the same thing as everyone else in the film, who are equally assholes. That's a man on the run plot right there.
 
I dont get it. He shouldnt listen to the guy, because he gave a good review of a movie that I hear is actually good?
 
Gunner said:
Go watch The Hurt Locker then you'll get it.
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The Hurt Locker is a vastly superior film to District 9. Not that District 9 is a bad film, again (and I can't stress this enough) I enjoyed it, but I could never predict what would happen next in The Hurt Locker.
 
AHA-Lambda said:
haven't yet seen it myself but interesting take on it here:

http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/2009/08/16/vlog-8-16-09-district-9-review/
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I really disagree with him about D-9 being a paper-thin metaphor for apartheid. While it's basically the same thing that once happened to the blacks, there's a whole other level to this conflict where these beings are not even human and are far from this world. We may have come very far in our fight against racism and discrimination, but how would we realistically react if aliens like that landed on our planet, completely malnourished and completely dependent on our aid for survival. Blomkamp isn't saying, "SEE! THIS IS APARTHEID!" He is challenging our tolerance and the future of what may be. How would we actually handle contact with intelligent, struggling aliens that look grotesque and otherworldly? This is about xenophobia on a galactic level, and it's very different than on a level between members of the same species.
 
I did agree with him on two things, the first being is that I would have liked to see more of a documentary style film showing the decline of love and awe for these aliens. It would have been very different, and it would have not done as well, but I think it would have been well appreciated by certain people. No less, the story was still very good.
And secondly, I was upset that the alien interrogation scene was not included.

Captain M4d said:
but how would we realistically react if aliens like that landed on our planet, completely malnourished and completely dependent on our aid for survival. Blomkamp isn't saying, "SEE! THIS IS APARTHEID!" He is challenging our tolerance and the future of what may be. How would we actually handle contact with intelligent, struggling aliens that look grotesque and otherworldly? This is about xenophobia on a galactic level, and it's very different than on a level between members of the same species.
Click to expand...

Exactly this.
 
I saw it, didn't see what so amazing about it, still thought it was a decent entertaining movie.
 
zombieturtle01 said:
I did agree with him on two things, the first being is that I would have liked to see more of a documentary style film showing the decline of love and awe for these aliens. It would have been very different, and it would have not done as well, but I think it would have been well appreciated by certain people. No less, the story was still very good.
And secondly, I was upset that the alien interrogation scene was not included.
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This. If the beginning of the movie had been a chopped-up documentary about the alien appearance, and the difficulties we had integrating them into society, I think I would have had an orgasm.
 
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