D-9

Good movie, but not for the kiddies. Someone brought some kids with him (maybe 7 years old) to the theater and they were not happy, and left after a little bit.
 
Good movie, but not for the kiddies. Someone brought some kids with him (maybe 7 years old) to the theater and they were not happy, and left after a little bit.
For an R-rated independent film produced by Peter Jackson? Smart move.
 
Good movie, but not for the kiddies. Someone brought some kids with him (maybe 7 years old) to the theater and they were not happy, and left after a little bit.

HAHA! the rating said Bloody violence and PERVASIVE LANGUAGE! serves them right for not thinking.
 
Good movie, but not for the kiddies. Someone brought some kids with him (maybe 7 years old) to the theater and they were not happy, and left after a little bit.

This happens often and it's lol. Probably why people complained about Watchmen so much. Twenty minutes of blue penis does that to a parent.
 
Another part of the movie that bothered me was when

Wikus hit Christopher and knocked him out. What did he plan to do? Learn how to cure himself in the mothership?
 
Another part of the movie that bothered me was when

Wikus hit Christopher and knocked him out. What did he plan to do? Learn how to cure himself in the mothership?
I think he was just overcome with rage and feelings of betrayal, so he tried to kill Christopher. As soon as he drops the gun (or whatever it was he picked up) you can see the look of incredulity fall on his face as he realises what he's done.
 
Another part of the movie that bothered me was when

Wikus hit Christopher and knocked him out. What did he plan to do? Learn how to cure himself in the mothership?

Personally I thought that was a great moment. It made Wikus' character much more 3-dimensional. I got pissed off at him, of course, but what it's meant to show is how incredibly desperate he was. He wasn't an action hero, and being told that Christopher would be back in 3 years just made him flip out and do something irrational, like some people would in that situation. It was annoying, but in a good, cohesive way.
 
Just saw it.

It was just so well done and I actually thought it was really original.

Epic/10
 
Personally I thought that was a great moment. It made Wikus' character much more 3-dimensional. I got pissed off at him, of course, but what it's meant to show is how incredibly desperate he was. He wasn't an action hero, and being told that Christopher would be back in 3 years just made him flip out and do something irrational, like some people would in that situation. It was annoying, but in a good, cohesive way.

You reckon that made him 3-dimensional? I thought he was still simply staying in the same emotion from the time
his arm changes to when he see's Christopher with a gun to his head
 
He has his ups and downs during that period. He has his breakdown when he's on the phone with his wife (both times), and he makes a very definite and conscious decision to do something crazy when he convinces Christopher to help him break back into MNU and goes to the Nigerians. He remains desperate during that whole period, but he definitely swings back and forth between outright despair and determination to find a solution.
 
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.

Well said
 
If like me you've not seen the film avoid Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. Some Cockjockey critic for the Chicago whatever, went and gave away the entire story + spoilers in the opening paragraph of his 'review' which has naturally been highlighted in the aggregate links.....

Good going jockey....
 
Blomkamp isn't saying, "SEE! THIS IS APARTHEID!" He is challenging our tolerance and the future of what may be. This is about xenophobia on a galactic level, and it's very different than on a level between members of the same species.
Well said. It is not about racism, it is about speciesism. Throughout the film you will note that we are also bombarded with violent imagery of meat being hacked apart and bodies being experimented on. That these clearly sentient beings who feel pain and have their own interests are treated so abhorrently by humans who are bloodthirsty for power and profit directly correlates to humanity's other speciesism against farm animals and laboratory animals reared for the profit of big agriculture, big pharmaceutical, and big military. Everything awful that happens to the aliens in the film is happening currently (and much worse) to farm animals and lab animals around the world and yet more sympathy is paid toward dogs from Michael Vick's "kennel" than the 10 billion animals reared in intensely cruel conditions and killed every year for food in the US alone. The indictment of humanity as a whole is extremely well represented in this film and I applaud Blomkamp for his courage and skill in creating one of the best movies of the year.
 
Well said. It is not about racism, it is about speciesism. Throughout the film you will note that we are also bombarded with violent imagery of meat being hacked apart and bodies being experimented on. That these clearly sentient beings who feel pain and have their own interests are treated so abhorrently by humans who are bloodthirsty for power and profit directly correlates to humanity's other speciesism against farm animals and laboratory animals reared for the profit of big agriculture, big pharmaceutical, and big military. Everything awful that happens to the aliens in the film is happening currently (and much worse) to farm animals and lab animals around the world and yet more sympathy is paid toward dogs from Michael Vick's "kennel" than the 10 billion animals reared in intensely cruel conditions and killed every year for food in the US alone. The indictment of humanity as a whole is extremely well represented in this film and I applaud Blomkamp for his courage and skill in creating one of the best movies of the year.
There were also the scenes where the aliens have torn cattle apart to create a sort of "nest" to breed their young in, and where the African warlords were just as racist towards the aliens as white people are/were to black Africans. Nobody seems to have any real consideration for any species but their own, no matter how much or how long they've learned what it's like to be discriminated against.
 
There were also the scenes where the aliens have torn cattle apart to create a sort of "nest" to breed their young in, and where the African warlords were just as racist towards the aliens as white people are/were to black Africans. Nobody seems to have any real consideration for any species but their own, no matter how much or how long they've learned what it's like to be discriminated against.

You're right of course, but the aliens were shown to be very humanized in the film--so much so that they too take advantage of those species that they can utilize as machines. The Nigerians and the MNU were the same way. The aliens wanted to incubate their young at the expense of cattle. The Nigerians wanted power at the expense of anyone else's life or suffering. The MNU wanted bigger and better weaponry at the expense of countless animal/human/alien lives and suffering.

Taken in all, the film is clearly an indictment of humanity and it's selfish treatment of every species outside of their own (i.e. speciesism). No other species (except the aliens who are remarkably human in most respects) see fit to use other species as machines for profit. Symbiotic relationships abound in nature where different species use their advantages to aid one another. Humans, however, use their advantages to bend other species to their will even if it means wanton cruelty on an unprecedented scale. Some people will argue that humans are at the top of the food chain and, as such, should be able to eat whatever is below them, but I would argue that through the industrialization of food production (specifically intensively farmed livestock), we humans have created such an unnatural production process beyond the scope of anything the planet has ever seen that we can no longer be considered in the same scale.

Anyway, great film. :D
 
I saw it again and a bit of an observation:

Wikus' transformation does appear to accelerate whenever he's most injured, leading me to believe that the 'fluid' is a multi-purpose nanotech that's trying to repair him back to (alien) health.
 
I've been hooked on this since the trailers, is it out in the UK yet? I can't see it on any of the Exeter screens, rubbish
 
september 4 in UK (same day as 500 days of summer:hmph:)
 
Alien Nation & The Fly. That's all I have to say.

Oh shut up.

The only similarities the two movies have with D-9 is that

Alien nation: Aliens living on earth.

Fly: Someone transforms.

Yep, you're absolutely right. District 9 is completely unoriginal.
 
I honestly would love to see a sequel, and it's rumored that there is one in the works. I feel there were more than enough things left unexplained to call for one:

Wikus being promised a cure in 3 years, Christopher's journey home and what will happen to the inhabitants of District 10 following it. Hopefully one sequel is all that's needed, because they have a really good thing going and I don't want it to feel tired through too many sequels.
 
I honestly would love to see a sequel, and it's rumored that there is one in the works. I feel there were more than enough things left unexplained to call for one:

Wikus being promised a cure in 3 years, Christopher's journey home and what will happen to the inhabitants of District 10 following it. Hopefully one sequel is all that's needed, because they have a really good thing going and I don't want it to feel tired through too many sequels.
I very firmly do not want a sequel. I see how they opened it up to one, but I really hope it's not their intention. All that needed to be said was done in D-9, and pushing it any further would be milking the message too much,
and I don't think it's necessary to resolve the story of Wikus and Christopher, because while I became attached to both characters; they weren't the centerpiece of the film; it was the ideas behind them that mattered.
 
I very firmly do not want a sequel. I see how they opened it up to one, but I really hope it's not their intention. All that needed to be said was done in D-9, and pushing it any further would be milking the message too much,
and I don't think it's necessary to resolve the story of Wikus and Christopher, because while I became attached to both characters; they weren't the centerpiece of the film; it was the ideas behind them that mattered.
I think a sequel could work, but I wouldn't want a direct continuation of the storyline probably. There could certainly be more stories in the world Blomkamp sets up in the film though. Also, the vibe I get from the interviews with him that I've read, he doesn't rule out the idea of a sequel but I doubt he wouldn't try something else first. District 9 is his first feature-length film, I'm sure he's got more ideas that he'd like to do.
 
I saw it again and a bit of an observation:

Wikus' transformation does appear to accelerate whenever he's most injured, leading me to believe that the 'fluid' is a multi-purpose nanotech that's trying to repair him back to (alien) health.
Oooh, good call. That would make sense. Our bodies have to continually repair themselves, since our cells are constantly dying and reproducing. I bet it's a nanofluid that modifies the DNA in human stem cells to be changed into prawn DNA, so the cells that are copied with human DNA slowly die off and are replaced by prawn cells.

I bet District 10 will have parallels with Dawn of the Dead :p

I think a sequel could work, but I wouldn't want a direct continuation of the storyline probably. There could certainly be more stories in the world Blomkamp sets up in the film though. Also, the vibe I get from the interviews with him that I've read, he doesn't rule out the idea of a sequel but I doubt he wouldn't try something else first. District 9 is his first feature-length film, I'm sure he's got more ideas that he'd like to do.

That would be perfect. The "parallelquel" (yes I made up a word, shut up) could incorporate bits and pieces of the D9 story arc, but would focus on a different part of the universe. Kind of like Halo 3 and Halo: ODST.
 
I think a sequel could work, but I wouldn't want a direct continuation of the storyline probably. There could certainly be more stories in the world Blomkamp sets up in the film though. Also, the vibe I get from the interviews with him that I've read, he doesn't rule out the idea of a sequel but I doubt he wouldn't try something else first. District 9 is his first feature-length film, I'm sure he's got more ideas that he'd like to do.
Yeah, I suppose, and if it was as well-done, I certainly wouldn't oppose. I'M JUST SO TIRED OF SEQUELS! I CAN'T HELP IT! :frown:
 
The one line I did not like and thought was lame was

When the main military bad-guy had his pistol up to Christopher's head and said "I JUS LUV KILLIN' PRAWNS, EHEH"

It was contrived, I think everyone knew before that point he was a trigger happy sociopath who loved abusing his authority, I don't think we needed that line to nail it in. :p
 
Yeah, I suppose, and if it was as well-done, I certainly wouldn't oppose. I'M JUST SO TIRED OF SEQUELS! I CAN'T HELP IT! :frown:

You're probably just tired of BAD sequels. It's unfortunate that most studios just can't seem to get them right.
 
After watching the movie again, I am more open to the idea of a sequel.
 
And that's what happens when she mates out of season.

Who this she your talking about? Really Pithead, how am I to keep up with these fake people you make up.


Anyway back on topic, I saw the movie again, I still think the movie wasn't that great, it was entertaining yes, but it wasn't a masterpiece as so many are claiming.

The effects were nice.

The acting was alright, not many people to care about in the story, Wikus was ok, just a desperate man under a desperate situation.

it was just the pacing of the plot really killed it for me, they could have done more with less in places.

The story is unfinished too, we'll just have to see what happens in district 10.
 
Another thing that just made no sense to me:

During the shootout with him in the mech. He picked up a pig that wasnt even on screen with, I guess, a gravity gun, and shot it. WTF. He picked up and shot a pig with a gravity gun. Why would anybody think that made sense and choose to include it in the movie?
 
I thought they already established that the
mech had a gravity gun in the scene it first activates?
 
Yeah it
picks the gangster's bullets up out of the air and shoots them back.


I just got back from seeing it. I liked it. But...

the movie doesn't explain why they had gone to Earth in the first place.
 
Another thing that just made no sense to me:

During the shootout with him in the mech. He picked up a pig that wasnt even on screen with, I guess, a gravity gun, and shot it. WTF. He picked up and shot a pig with a gravity gun. Why would anybody think that made sense and choose to include it in the movie?
He's a desperate man in a desperate situation
in a mech suit that he is desperately trying to figure out the operation of
so in my mind, him not doing something so non-sequitur and useless would make less sense.
 
Just got home. Loved it. Brilliant stuff. Look forward to a sequel. Had its flaws but who cares. Plenty of action, good story and the main dude saying the f-word was hilarious. The main character was very good. I think we should all pronounce the f-word like that.
 
I know people said this was good but damn I didn't know it was this good :O This is probably up there with moon for me as the best movie of this year. The film is about 1/3 documentary and 2/3 sci-fi action movie. The documentary section at the start is done very well and immerses you in this world and establishes the basis of the film very well. The rest of the movie follows the main character and largely abandons the documentary part (except for occasional cut aways).

I don't know who he was but the actor who played the main character was really good. He played this idea of being a kinda weakly, wimpy everyday man who has the weight of the world fall on him very very well. The action is excellent and doesn't overstay its welcome like alot of action movies allowing the chance to portray the films emotional side. At the beginning you feel sympathetic with the human side but as the film progresses you then feel sympathetic to the aliens as you see what happens to them. I was amazed at the way they were portrayed, they acted exactly like humans and the work on them was great I don't know if they used CG or what to make them (maybe CG for the kid alien).

I did have a little problem though with (what would be considered) the main villain. Most characters were developed to the extent they should have been except him. It was obvious they tried to portray him as some sort of evil ******* but for me he never really felt that menacing or sinister.

But seriously if you haven't seen it go do it now, it's fantastic!
 
Anybody else notice how this is all kind of built around that old robot police video from a few years back (same style, also set in South Africa and also created by Embassy FX)? Just thought it was an interesting link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snfc_wNWqSU
 
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