District 9

III · Aug 14, 2009

Has anyone seen it yet? The reviews have been great and it seems to be different than the cookie-cutter sci-fi blockbusters. I'm thinking about taking my whole family to see it tonight, but I've heard the violence is pretty graphic.

Jcomp · Aug 14, 2009

I'm going to try to catch it today. I'm anticipating greatness...

Cranky · Aug 14, 2009

I'm having trouble suspending my disbelief, and I haven't even seen it yet. Special effects look cool and all, but I think this one'll be another pass, unless people come out raving about it.

Celia Cyanide · Aug 14, 2009

Cranky said:
I'm having trouble suspending my disbelief.

About what? I have only seen a few commercials, and I don't really know what it's about.

Cranky · Aug 14, 2009

Celia Cyanide said:
About what? I have only seen a few commercials, and I don't really know what it's about.

Intergalactic travelers are marooned here on earth, and they just put up with being segregated, etc.? That's too much for me to ignore, considering it's supposed to be (I think) in an analogous present time. If they can travel here, they've got the smarts to pretty much whoop our asses, build another space craft, and get the heck outta Dodge.

ETA: Here's a little lift from a wiki on the movie, highlight to read: Aliens made first contact with Earth twenty-eight years prior to the beginning of the film, after which humanity waited for either a hostile attack or for giant advances in technology, though neither came. Instead, the aliens that arrived were refugees; apparently all "workers", with their leadership mysteriously missing. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's District 9 as the world's nations argued over what to do with them. Patience over the alien situation ran out and control over them was contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens' welfare. MNU stands to receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens' advanced weaponry work. MNU, thus far, has failed in making the alien weaponry work, for activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA.

YMMV, but me no likey.

nitaworm · Aug 14, 2009

Of course I will go. I go to the movies at least every other week. So I'll keep everyone posted.

The trailers have been very vague. However, its science fiction with killing hopefully ( I am a reformed horror movie buff). So of course I will be there.

III · Aug 14, 2009

From what I've read, it's a documentary style movie about aliens who "run out of gas" over the Earth and are forced to live here and settle into their own ethnic slum. The director is South African and there are parallels between the aliens' plight and Aparthied. Beyond that, I'm trying to remain as ignorant as possible about the plot or any possible twists. The previews look great. But then again I thought the previews for Terminator Salvation looked good and it stunk on ice.

dgiharris · Aug 14, 2009

Cranky said:
Intergalactic travelers are marooned here on earth, and they just put up with being segregated, etc.? That's too much for me to ignore, considering it's supposed to be (I think) in an analogous present time. If they can travel here, they've got the smarts to pretty much whoop our asses, build another space craft, and get the heck outta Dodge.

.[/COLOR]

YMMV, but me no likey.

Actually, if it makes you feel better. That isn't necessarily true. (i didn't read your spoiler linkee)

The logistics of building a highly technical 'craft' takes an entire societal infrastructure.

Imagine if a current US Aircraft Carrier traveled to 1947. The US Aircraft Carrier would be incredibly advanced and powerful, however, by itself it would not be able to take over the entire planet. It only holds so many fighter jets with so many bullets and missiles right?

It would be entirely possible for the then 1947 World's military to dictate terms to the US Aircraft Carrier with the result being a shakey truce.

Likewise, the engineers on board the US Aircraft Carrier will not be able to simply 'build another' US Aircraft Carrier using the 1947 infrastructure. For a start, microchips aren't even around and it takes BILLIONS of dollars of infrastructure and machines to build a microchip. And that is just 'one' advanced technology. To build an entire Aircraft Carrier takes TRILLIONS of dollars worth of infrastructure.

So aliens stranded here would face the same problems.

And barring the ubiquitous 'force field', we are fairly advanced as warfare is concerned and we're only 50 - 100 yrs away from serious space travel so we aren't too far behind.

Hope that ties up that plot hole for you

Everything I've seen about the movie looks legit and I can't wait to see it.

Mel...

Cranky · Aug 14, 2009

You know, Mel, actually, it does wrap it up pretty neatly. But I think I'll take a wait and see.

dgiharris · Aug 14, 2009

III said:
From what I've read, it's a documentary style movie about aliens who "run out of gas" over the Earth and are forced to live here and settle into their own ethnic slum. The director is South African and there are parallels between the aliens' plight and Aparthied. Beyond that, I'm trying to remain as ignorant as possible about the plot or any possible twists. The previews look great. But then again I thought the previews for Terminator Salvation looked good and it stunk on ice.

I'm the same way. Everytime a preview comes on, I immediately change the channel or barring that, I close my eyes, put my hands over my ears and chant :Na-na-na-na-na-na-neener-neener-neener-neener-bah-bah-bah" for 30 seconds

So far, i'm pretty ignorant minus the teaser previews they started showing 3 months ago.

I'm going to see it today and i'll let you know how it is.

Mel...

MattW · Aug 14, 2009

I liked the teasers and online media surrounding the movie. Kinda like Cloverfield without all the puzzles for shut-ins.

maestrowork · Aug 14, 2009

I saw a 7-minute clip and it looked really good. And no, it's not a mockumentary. After the inciting incident, things get wild.

The premise is a bit far-fetched. But since Peter Jackson produced it, I'd trust that they know what they're doing...

dgiharris · Aug 14, 2009

Ha!

I'm first to the thread as having seen the movie.

My non-spoiler review: Overall, I liked it and did not feel like I 'wasted' my money. I'd give it a solid 'B+'

I will say that this is not your typical movie. It doesn't feel like a movie, it feels more intimate, more personal and 'real' like something off of the Discovery Channel. O.k. maybe not exactly. More like a hybrid Discovery Channel / Hollywood movie. Yeah, that's a better description. Which is why I'm not sure how well this will be received.

I did like it and it was a bit different. Makes you think a little bit.

Enjoy.

Mel...

Bravo · Aug 14, 2009

i thought this movie was great. it's certainly not for everyone, and there are a couple of iffy parts that keep it from getting a solid "A", but it's a great experience for a film. and i really mean "experience", the way it's done is unlike anything i've ever seen before.

personally, i thought the anti-racist, anti-apartheid allegory was done really well. and i just have to say, this is probably the most pro-palestinian movie i have ever seen hollywood make.

it gets an A-/B+ from me.

i'll put some spoilers in once this thing has been out for a while.

for now, just trust me.

its worth it.

thank you

Cybernaught · Aug 14, 2009

One of the best movies I've seen this Summer. Probably the second best next to Star Trek. I can see how this movie won't be for everybody, but the movie managed to get me pretty emotionally involved.

Lyra Jean · Aug 14, 2009

One of the best science fiction movies I've seen in a long time. It's got action like Star Trek but is more serious like Sunshine.

trocadero · Aug 14, 2009

Can't wait to see it. We were puzzled by the ads in LA early in the summer - signs on bus stops and building sides asking people to report non-human use of the seat or the building. It was only on reading the small lettering at the bottom that we saw the link to the film website.

Mel, Bravo, Cybernaught, Rosemerry, I know it's R rated. What's your take on the level and type of violence? I have to work out who to take!

dgiharris · Aug 15, 2009

The violence is pretty gory at times, but it is never the focus of the movie like the torture porn of SAW. Majority of violent shots only last a split second.

If you're little ones have seen a zombie movie, then they can handle the violence.

personally, I'd be comfortable with anyone over 12 seeing it. Not sure if i'd take someone under the age of 12. Not so much because of the violence, moreso because they probably wouldn't get much out of it other than the special effects and violence. The storyline is not the normal simple storyline and I'm not sure anyone under 12 would like/appreciate the movie.

There is no sex or nudity. There are some F-bombs but they relate to the scene at hand.

That's my opinion anyways.

Mel...

Zoombie · Aug 15, 2009

It was awesome!

A sci-fi action film that allowed its audience to actually THINK, with a non-typical lead, combined with a non-typical race of aliens, combined with a well realized world.

All in all, a solid A.

Lyra Jean · Aug 15, 2009

Violence is gory but short and too the point. They quickly move on to the scene and continue without dwelling.

Nakhlasmoke · Aug 15, 2009

uh I am soooo conflicted.

I kinda want to see it because it's South African, but then I have to listen to South African accents and that's gonna make me cringe through the whole damn thing.

Oh the trauma....

Hmmm, I'll see if I can go see it next week.

Bravo · Aug 15, 2009

trocadero said:
Mel, Bravo, Cybernaught, Rosemerry, I know it's R rated. What's your take on the level and type of violence? I have to work out who to take!

i think its much too violent for little ones, and a lot of the violence would seem really senseless and evil so i think that's probably not good for kids to see.

take this from someone who watched a ton of R movies when he was a kid, this isn't something i'd recommend for anyone under 12.

eta: lol! mel looks like mel agrees with the 12 and up thing. you are officially off ignore now, mel. its a good thing you liked this movie too.

Bravo · Aug 15, 2009

and slight SPOILER WARNING:

i gotta say, my biggest gripe with this movie is the portrayl of nigerians. many people in the west already think of africans as either starving, desperate people or canibalistic, militant thugs, was it really necessary to go so over the top with nigerians? they came across as completely nuts.

this was a movie against racism, but there was some ugly racism within it.

Nakhlasmoke · Aug 15, 2009

Bravo said:
and slight SPOILER WARNING:

...

was it really necessary to go so over the top with nigerians? they came across as completely nuts.

this was a movie against racism, but there was some ugly racism within it.

uh that's completely realistic for a movie set in ZA.

The majority of Nigerians here seem to be connected with a kind of mafia or are drug dealers.

*shrug*

Sounds like this movie is very true to South African xenophobia (which is rampant, I assure you)

Bravo · Aug 15, 2009

but it didn't show that the xenophobia was unjustified, as it did with the aliens. it made the nigerians simply look psychotic.

are nigerian gangs rampant in s. africa? i'm sure. and i wouldn't necessarily have had a problem if they showed those gangs in the slums. but to have them do all that witch doctor stuf and be all evil, it was just too over the top. there was nothing redeeming among nigerians, at least whites had Wikas' story.

IMO, it was a mistake to heavily emphasize that they were nigerians, and it was a mistake to make them entirely one-diminesional. doing so made it seem like the creators shared s. african xenophobia, and that's really troubling and problematic for me.

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