District 9

[nimbus]

All the cream colored spoilers are visible to anyone using the uplink color scheme

 

[JonClarke]

Another thing I liked was that, while there were enough unresolved questions to allow for an sequel, they were of a sort that simply serve as hanging issues for further thought if no sequel eventuates.

 

[SkylarkDuQuesne]

Criticisms? The evil multinational is a bit of a cliche, and I doubt that even a even multinational(TM) that carried out experiments on aliens would be quite so ready to vivisect one of their own, just because he had been exposed to an unknown alien compound. And where was the SA government, the UN, the major powers in all this?

JonClarke, I wish I shared your belief that the evildoers would not carry out such experiments on the aliens and our hybrid human. Unfortunately, our collective past shows us to be more than capable of such atrocities. Especially if there is a new, powerful weapon involved. This sequence of the movie made me squirm because it seemed so real.
As to your question about the 'major powers', didn't they form the MNU to deal with the aliens?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Criticisms? The evil multinational is a bit of a cliche, and I doubt that even a even multinational(TM) that carried out experiments on aliens would be quite so ready to vivisect one of their own, just because he had been exposed to an unknown alien compound. And where was the SA government, the UN, the major powers in all this?

JonClarke, I wish I shared your belief that the evildoers would not carry out such experiments on the aliens and our hybrid human. Unfortunately, our collective past shows us to be more than capable of such atrocities. Especially if there is a new, powerful weapon involved. This sequence of the movie made me squirm because it seemed so real.
As to your question about the 'major powers', didn't they form the MNU to deal with the aliens?

Just FYI, SkyLark, the color you chose for the quote is pretty much invisible to those of us who use the default settings...

 

[JonClarke]

JonClarke, I wish I shared your belief that the evildoers would not carry out such experiments on the aliens and our hybrid human. Unfortunately, our collective past shows us to be more than capable of such atrocities. Especially if there is a new, powerful weapon involved.

There certainly seems no limit to human depravity. But it has to be believable. And, when shown in a film not cliched. And (for me) the "evil multi-national" theme has been used so often it is a cliche. Given that such an entity exists in the story, can I believe it would experiment on aliens? Certainly. Can I believe it would experiment on one of their own only hours after exposure to an alien substance? I find that very hard to believe. It is not how even multi-nationals respond to a medical emergency among their staff.

More believeable would have been a response where they said "We are terribly sorry about this thing that has happened to your arm, there is nothing we can do about it, but we can give you a pay rise and a new role in our weapons testing division." Rather then sending him straight off to the vivisection facility!

And then there is the quality of depravity. Mass experimentation on unwilling subjects is more the domain of despotic governments, not evil multi-nationals. EMNs tend to specialise in environmental degradation, exploitation and poor labour conditions.

Jon

As to your question about the 'major powers', didn't they form the MNU to deal with the aliens?

Was this stated in the film? If so it makes more sense. But as I saw it MNU was just another major industrial multi-national; with a long-standing interest in armaments (hence stock footage of weapons manufacture)

 

[nimbus]

I thought the post infection guinea pig treatment was noir humor trumping absolute realism.

 

[JonClarke]

I thought the post infection guinea pig treatment was noir humor trumping absolute realism.

There was certainly plenty of dark humour, but I don't that was meant to be funny. It ceratinly wasn't for me.


Jon

 

[nimbus]

Not in a laughable way. I mean it was surreal. It seemed to mock that kind of mindset without actually making it comical. Like e.g. Brazil did.

 

[bdewoody]

I just rented this movie from Netflix and after watching it I have mixed feelings. Mainly it was as JonClarke put it a bit too gritty for my taste. More about knocking big multi national corporations than about human/alien interaction. I'm glad I didn't pay $10 to go see it in the theatre.

 

[nimbus]

Big multis are made of people.

 

[StarRider1701]

I have also recently watched it on PPV and I enjoyed it. It was very imaginative yet left much up to the imaginations of the watcher. I liked that. District 9 left me with way more questions than answers. Can't wait for District 10!

 

[docm]

For those who don't yet know District 9 has received no less than four Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Visual Effects, Editing and Adapted Screenplay (from the 2005 Canadian 6 minute short film Alive in Joburg.)

From other groups it has another 8 award wins & 27 nominations.

 

[a_lost_packet_]

For those who don't yet know District 9 has received no less than four Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Visual Effects, Editing and Adapted Screenplay (from the 2005 Canadian 6 minute short film Alive in Joburg.)

From other groups it has another 8 award wins & 27 nominations.

I'm not sure it quite makes the grade on "Best Picture." But, it surely deserves accolades in many areas. It may be the Best Picture nomination is more motivated by its similarities to Apartheid than the true impact of the film.

 

[docm]

Well, Best Picture nominations and awards are voted on by the entire Academy membership, unlike the others where actors vote for actors, directors for directors etc. Must have had some kind of significant impact, plus it's made >$210 million on a $30 million investment and therefore is headed for a sequel.

 

[StarRider1701]

Well, Best Picture nominations and awards are voted on by the entire Academy membership, unlike the others where actors vote for actors, directors for directors etc. Must have had some kind of significant impact, plus it's made >$210 million on a $30 million investment and therefore is headed for a sequel.

Popularity and money making are NOT considerations of the Academy, at least according to the Academy when they defended choosing Ghandi, a movie that almost no one went to see, over E.T. the most popular movie of that year.

I do agree that I would not have thought District 9 to be in the catagory of "Best Picture."

 

[BenS1985]

Despite Avatar being a shoe-in for VFX, I really think District 9 needs to win.

It provided some of the most magnificent VFX on a screen for $30 million. $30 million! That didn't even buy the opening credits to Avatar, but made the entirety of D9!

I loved the movie, by the way. Not perfect, and I wish there was more story to it, but for what it was, it was awesome and I cannot wait for D10.

To me, I viewed the movie as an allegory towards Apartheid and the condition of those we deem 'lesser' than ourselves. Prawns were considered inferior, and were treated as such. The movie revolves around understanding their condition, and accepting them as we accept those of our own kind. That is what made the movie really neat.

 

[Saturnfly]

I admit, I almost walked out in the first 5 or so minutes due to the whole documentary style of filming which I didn't expect, but I'm glad I didn't. The film had a lot of good elements, the storyline was original as were the characters and it was just very satisfying.

 

[JasonChapman]

i watched this film last year, and I'd have to say it was the best scifi film I had seen in a good few years. Although people were put off by the documentary style presentation at the beginning I was glued. The tricky bit is going to be the sequel, you can't just have the aliens coming back and blowing the crap out of planet earth, because that would just be Independence Day all over again

 

[Saturnfly]

i watched this film last year, and I'd have to say it was the best scifi film I had seen in a good few years. Although people were put off by the documentary style presentation at the beginning I was glued. The tricky bit is going to be the sequel, you can't just have the aliens coming back and blowing the crap out of planet earth, because that would just be Independence Day all over again

True, but at least they made a film that would be ready for a sequel. Unlike most Hollywood crap.
They would have to come back and rescue their species, and if that means blowing up mankind in the process, I wont complain.