District 9

Cacophonix · « **on:** 16 Aug 2009, 07:31 pm »

Great movie ... i read all the hype about this movie, and it still managed to surpass my already high expectations.

My wife -hates- scifi, and does not want anything to do with monster movies, but even she liked this one. Do not miss this.

nature boy · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Aug 2009, 07:32 pm »

Ditto, saw it yesterday with my wife. We both enjoyed it - great sci-fi, acting was top notch.

NB

ecramer · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Aug 2009, 08:20 pm »

WOW Talk about a difference of opinion. I love scifi movie. This was just bad, cgi was great but the rest of the movie sucked. Come on you mean the world let all that tech.sit there for 20 years and didn't learn anything and a race that was capable of intergalatic travel just because there ship stopped working would become just about savages. The whole thing was ridiculous. The idea that they would go about moving the aliens or treat them in that fashion in the first place is ludacris First movie in a long time i though about geting up and leaving in the first half an hour. I was glad it was finally over.

ED

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Aug 2009, 09:35 pm »

Quote from: ecramer on 16 Aug 2009, 08:20 pm

WOW Talk about a difference of opinion. I love scifi movie. This was just bad, cgi was great but the rest of the movie sucked. Comon you mean the world let allt hat tech. sit there for 20 years and didnt learn anything and a race that was capable of intergalatic travile just because there ship stoped working would become just about savages. The whole thing was ridiculous. The idea that they would go about moving the aliens or treat hem in that fashion in the first place is ludacris Firs moviw in a long time i though about geting up and leaving in the first half an hour. I was glad it was finally over.

ED

I likes a good review. Reviews ought to be critical. Either way critical. How else is a peasant posed to get some idea?

Cacophonix · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 Aug 2009, 10:12 pm »

To me good cgi cannot make up for a bad story (GI Joe, Transformers etc). This one had a great story that concentrated on how the general public perceived such a landing rather than what the scientific community made of this. Still, you do see in this movie where experiments were being conducted by humans on the aliens trying to understand them. What makes the progress slow is that the alien technology works only when operated by aliens. This ship didn't have a just few geeky aliens, so to speak. It had an entire colony. And you do see a few working on getting the "control module" working again so that they can head back home. Since none of us have really met an alien, i think its fair to allow the writers some leniency in how they want to portray their behavior.

Anyways, i don't want to get into an argument over this ... everyone is entitled to their opinion

To me, this was a departure from the cgi-heavy, gear-heavy, boom-boom scifi movies. Emphasis was on characters and story telling. Will definitely look forward to the sequel!

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 Aug 2009, 10:31 pm »

Quote from: Cacophonix on 16 Aug 2009, 10:12 pm

Emphasis was on characters and story telling.

That would make this a must see for me as those two elements are missing from most movies today.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 01:59 am »

Quote from: Cacophonix on 16 Aug 2009, 10:12 pm

To me good cgi cannot make up for a bad story (GI Joe, Transformers etc). This one had a great story that concentrated on how the general public perceived such a landing rather than what the scientific community made of this. Still, you do see in this movie where experiments were being conducted by humans on the aliens trying to understand them. What makes the progress slow is that the alien technology works only when operated by aliens. This ship didn't have a just few geeky aliens, so to speak. It had an entire colony. And you do see a few working on getting the "control module" working again so that they can head back home. Since none of us have really met an alien, i think its fair to allow the writers some leniency in how they want to portray their behavior.

Anyways, i don't want to get into an argument over this ... everyone is entitled to their opinion

To me, this was a departure from the cgi-heavy, gear-heavy, boom-boom scifi movies. Emphasis was on characters and story telling. Will definitely look forward to the sequel!

Much better. Grazie.

bundee1 · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 05:54 am »

This movie has it all. It's a scifi reality check of your values.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 06:46 am »

It really illustrates just how deplorable we humans are. There's nothing about our species that merits redemption.

ajzepp · « **Reply #9 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 08:30 am »

Quote from: Wind Chaser on 17 Aug 2009, 06:46 am

It really illustrates just how deplorable we humans are. There's nothing about our species that merits redemption.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 08:48 am »

Quote from: ajzepp on 17 Aug 2009, 08:30 am

Quote from: Wind Chaser on 17 Aug 2009, 06:46 am
It really illustrates just how deplorable we humans are. There's nothing about our species that merits redemption.

Did you see the film? If so, what are your thoughts?

nathanm · « **Reply #11 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 02:32 pm »

Ooh cool, a movie that'll make me deplore the human race! That sounds like the feel good hit of the summer! I've gotta see this!

Quote

...in the first place is ludacris

Sweet...

BobM · « **Reply #12 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 02:38 pm »

Nathan - and this changes your current perspective on humanity how?

stereocilia · « **Reply #13 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 02:48 pm »

I really liked it, and my wife who isn't into sci-fi liked it, too. But, the viewer has to get over some seriously implausible stuff. Like, the part where the main character could understand the alien language easily, and they could understand English, but somehow humanity knows relatively little about their situation.

I guess if you are looking for an excuse to shatter your suspension of disbelief you don't have to work too hard. But, if nothing else, I bet most people are left thinking about what would happen if there were an alien encounter like that even if they disagree with what the writers presented. It also made me think about how and why some of the things in that movie might be right on.

mcullinan · « **Reply #14 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 02:50 pm »

Quote from: BobM on 17 Aug 2009, 02:38 pm

Nathan - any this changes your current perspective on humanity how?

lol...

nathanm · « **Reply #15 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 03:59 pm »

The thing that bothers me about alien movies is that they are usually very animal-like. They've got all this advanced technology and yet they've got tentacles or claws for hands. Wouldn't they be more humanoid? (I suppose Star Trek has humanoid aliens) I mean, how do you build a computer if you're this slobbering lizard creature? I know, I know - nobody wants plausible movies, they wouldn't be any fun to watch.

From the District 9 trailer I saw, (if I recall correctly) the aliens are monster-like in this movie aren't they?

Red Dragon Audio · « **Reply #16 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 04:53 pm »

The CG was excellent in this film and was integrated very well with the "real". Wonderful action sequences. Badass alien weapons.

However what I found to be the real reward was the story/plot and character development. The allegory in this movie regarding apartheid was clear. I hope there will be sequel in "3 years".

nathanm - go see it - you'll enjoy it. Forget about their hands as they seem to do just fine with technology in this one.

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 05:11 pm »

Quote from: nathanm on 17 Aug 2009, 03:59 pm

The thing that bothers me about alien movies is that they are usually very animal-like. They've got all this advanced technology and yet they've got tentacles or claws for hands. Wouldn't they be more humanoid? (I suppose Star Trek has humanoid aliens) I mean, how do you build a computer if you're this slobbering lizard creature? I know, I know - nobody wants plausible movies, they wouldn't be any fun to watch.

From the District 9 trailer I saw, (if I recall correctly) the aliens are monster-like in this movie aren't they?

I believe this might be a sort of "human" bias. Just because we look like we do, does not mean that life will look and act the same that we do in different worlds, I mean, light years away. For all that we know, they might not even have visible/physical features.

OR

They might be an exact physical replica of us.

Most of SciFi writers or in this case, Hollywood producers will attempt to recreate something that might be familiar to what humans have seen or especially dislike, like the tiring insectoic/bug like appearance. I for one do not like roaches, I doubt that you might either. So, add a roach like physicality to superhuman intelligence+technology, something that can be labeled "alien" can be created.

Imagine how boring it would be if the aliens were invisible or did not closely act in a certain fashion that we could identify? There would be no story telling.

For all that we know, aliens, if they exist, and have such superior intellect, might look at the human race like something not worth interacting with. The premise that superior beings would like to interact with such conniving, greedy, not noble species might in itself be considered laughable.

Cacophonix · « **Reply #18 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 07:16 pm »

For people who wonder how we can act like this towards aliens ... we as a race have done much worse to our own fellow human beings! Clearly there's good, and there is a lot of bad in us as well.

The name "District 9" is a not-so-subtle reference to district 6 .. which was a mixed race neighborhood in SA. It was deemed as a "whites only" place during the apartheid era, and the blacks were moved en-masse, all 60,000 of them.

ecramer · « **Reply #19 on:** 17 Aug 2009, 11:23 pm »

I have no doubt that the human race is capable of many and frequent atrocities. I didn't buy into the main actor or their organization as anything more then a joke who would never have been left in charge of anything as important as alien technology. Do you really think he had the key code to get in the med lab. Way to many holes in the plot for me.actually the 6 minute film this movie was based on is better then district 9

Ed