District 9

[jpark]

Minor gripes :

- MNU was too stupid and incompetent.  The security was a joke.
- The aliens physiology was too cliche and did not seem like a plausible produce of evolution.

1.  In thinking about the (lack) of global response to Rwanda - I found the incompetence alarmingly plausible.
2.  Any true depiction of a biologically different alien will not be viewer friendly - I think viewers lose interest/connection unless the alien is at least "humanoid".  You're right - an alien may not have eyes or two legs/ arms etc. - but I see this as an artistic compromise so the audience can at least relate eventually.  A genuine effort to depict a alien, would give us something so foreign, we would never be able to connect with them in the confines of the time of a film.

[Aez]

Minor gripes :

- MNU was too stupid and incompetent.  The security was a joke.
- The aliens physiology was too cliche and did not seem like a plausible produce of evolution.

1.  In thinking about the (lack) of global response to Rwanda - I found the incompetence alarmingly plausible.
2.  Any true depiction of a biologically different alien will not be viewer friendly - I think viewers lose interest/connection unless the alien is at least "humanoid".  You're right - an alien may not have eyes or two legs/ arms etc. - but I see this as an artistic compromise so the audience can at least relate eventually.  A genuine effort to depict a alien, would give us something so foreign, we would never be able to connect with them in the confines of the time of a film.

1. Yeah, except it's a spacecraft with advanced technology.  There should be a permanent lab inside the ship and a couple of nukes ready if it try to flee or attack.  Maybe you could explain it by saying it's in South Africa and they did not let other countries in.

2.  I know but I still think the chitins abs and the shrimps appendage were overkill. Also, Protoss legs and Cthulhu mouths are overused.

[LK]

It's a movie for fuck's sake. Focus on the themes, story, and emotions you feel and less on whether the fictional boogeymen would be theoretically possible. Not every world setting needs to be ripped apart for its veracity. I enjoyed the movie for what it showed and not because the alien creatures are believable or some other irrelevant item.

[dd0029]

[Morfiend]

I saw it. Really liked it. I am not a fan of shaky-cam filming style, but luckily its kept to a minimum and actually helps with the "documentary" style at the beginning of the movie.

The one thing that was really hard for me was that the main character looked, sounded, and even acted like "Marry" from Flight of the Concords. I couldnt get it out of my head.

[Aez]

It's a movie for fuck's sake. Focus on the themes, story, and emotions you feel and less on whether the fictional boogeymen would be theoretically possible. Not every world setting needs to be ripped apart for its veracity. I enjoyed the movie for what it showed and not because the alien creatures are believable or some other irrelevant item.

Like I said, they are minor grape.  I liked the movie.  Where's the fun if we can't discuss the details?

[Kitsune]

Saw it, liked it.  I hadn't seen any trailers or anything else beforehand, so I walked in with no clue what I was seeing.  At first I thought it was going for humor, The Office with aliens.  Then the blood started flowing.

I liked Wilkus, the writing made him a very human character with damn near no redeeming value to anyone until it was pretty much forced on him.  He responded to everything in about the exact way I'd expect a real person to react, rather than in constant Hollywood cliches.

[bhodi]

Saw it, it was good. 20 years is a long time, and I can see some of that happening, but I would have figured we'd have cut the mothership up piece by piece to figure out how it worked. I disliked the fact that they were all apparently dumb rubes except for the one smart prawn. Maybe the smart ones are all working (or being dissected) in labs somewhere, but I'm sure many companies would like to get their hands on anyone who can build them a walking mech and would be happy to pay for all the cat food they could eat.

Anyone else catch the half-life homage with the pig? They used the same sound and everything, it was pretty funny.

[HaemishM]

I kept thinking through the movie, "This guy should direct a Half-Life movie." Getting shot with a pig must suck but it was fucking awesome.

This was the best movie I've seen since Star Trek - best original IP this year. Absolutely fantastic. The action was gorgeous, the CGI was good especially the shots of the mothership against the Johannesburg cityscape. The mech was win.

[jpark]

Correct me if I am wrong but I heard the the lead actor for this - our "hero" had never acted before and this was his first film. 

Wow.

[Murgos]

I kind of think the point with the Alien behavior was that it wasn't really all that different from any poor displaced people.  We've all seen similar images of people digging through refuse piles.

Sure, most of them weren't scientists or particularly knowledgeable about anything but then again neither are most humans.  The more I think about it the more I think both races were portrayed in as much of a parallel behavior as they could managed to depict.

[Hawkbit]

Enjoyed it, though I have some complaints.  Solid 89%. 

[Aez]

[Oban]

[LK]

Because the fluid is a storytelling device and an objective of importance to advance the plot.

[tazelbain]

Do not question the plot device.  I am sure they could have come up with a good reason, but they were too busy making an awesome movie.  

[Surlyboi]

[bhodi]

[HaemishM]

[tazelbain]

I like the Children of Man comparison.  Human failings in the face of the Unknown.  Gritty FX.  Exploration of issues, but no morality play.

[Morfiend]

[jpark]

Even though I am scientist I am willing to cut some films slack on "inexplicable" science if the film looks like it has earned it through efforts in other areas.

I accept the idea fully that there are new physical laws and properties of any system we have described to date well outside our current comprehension.  In short, alien technology, despite the high opinion we carry of our state of knowledge, willl in some cases still appear to be "magic".

[SurfD]

Even though I am scientist I am willing to cut some films slack on "inexplicable" science if the film looks like it has earned it through efforts in other areas.

I accept the idea fully that there are new physical laws and properties of any system we have described to date well outside our current comprehension.  In short, alien technology, despite the high opinion we carry of our state of knowledge, willl in some cases still appear to be "magic".

Arthur C. Clarke : Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Given the aliens were capable of A: Interstellar Travel, and B: Keeping a spacecraft the size of a couple of city blocks HOVERING over a major city for 20 odd years on autopilot, it think we can assume their technology is sufficiently advanced :P

[Hawkbit]

Arthur C. Clarke : Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

I have this discussion with guy I work with once a week.  He's in his late 50s and just feels like computers are magic boxes.  He can't figure out how we talk to them, so therefore it's nearly magical.  He even calls them magic boxes, the wacko.

[dd0029]

District 9's Director Tells Us All About His Alien Back Story

This kind of explains some of the questions about the prawns.  The human "authorities" still make no sense though.

[Hawkbit]

Going all dork here, but there's no way without holodeck/food materialization technology of Star Trek that even a couple hundred of the prawns could survive for 'thousands of years' in a ship that size.  It would have had to been attached to a mothership the size of a planet.  Which it may, we dunno.  Just seems unrealistic. 

[gryeyes]

Excellent movie. That its based in South Africa was a rather poignant reminder of our ability to "dehumanize".  The aliens are portrayed exactly how the blacks were during apartheid. Even the people who aren't actively hateful like the "hero" dont equate them as equals worthy of consideration. So while you are kind of in disbelief that the obviously intelligent aliens are treated like dogs you realize we treat our own species the same way.

It would have had to been attached to a mother ship the size of a planet.

Why would you say that? The aliens can eat metal cans and tires they are obviously engineered and hearty creatures.  Even at our level of technology a self sustaining biosphere is not that far beyond the realm of possibility. They have a fuel source so potent that a liter is capable of traveling to other stars so thats not an issue. That ship was the size of a large city.

[tazelbain]

Read the io9 article linked. They are without the leader caste.  The alien are aimless, without purpose.

[gryeyes]

Im going to ignore what that guy said, because its fucking stupid.

[tazelbain]

You are hopeless.

[gryeyes]

I was referring to the director, just in case you got confused.  Nothing the director said addresses any of the issues I mentioned. It made more sense not knowing what his intentions were.


Movie is pure awesome but those explanations are very unsatisfying.

[Trippy]

Arthur C. Clarke : Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

I have this discussion with guy I work with once a week.  He's in his late 50s and just feels like computers are magic boxes.  He can't figure out how we talk to them, so therefore it's nearly magical.  He even calls them magic boxes, the wacko.

Quantum mechanics might as well just be magic

Context: semiconductors do what they do because of "quantum tunneling".

[Kirth]

Saw this last night. amazing.

[DraconianOne]

Been avoiding this thread for fear of spoilers prior to the UK release but just thought it would be worth popping this link in to another of Blomkamp's short films (which also stars Lynda "I was Wonder Woman dammit!" Carter).

Tempbot

CGI is stunning in this.

[Velorath]

I think one of the most amazing things about this movie is that boxofficemojo reports its production cost as $30 million.  It more than made its money back opening weekend, and looks pretty impressive for a movie with a relatively small budget.