Who else saw District 9 at the weekend? A few of us did, and we wanted to share our thoughts on it. Why? Because it’s sci-fi, and, generally speaking, we’re (your humble CG writers as well as you guys) all sci-fi fans to one degree or another. That is to say you won’t be seeing our thoughts on, say, The Goods any time soon. (Fair warning: there will be spoilers.)
I, Nicholas A. Deleon, will go first. How do I say this… I didn’t like the movie. I don’t want to use the word “rubbish” because it was actually shot pretty well—the teaser trailer was one of the best ones I’ve ever seen, and totally sold me on the film—but man alive did it make no sense. As I just complained in our chatroom, why are these aliens, who have come across the galaxy (granted, not by choice), putting up with being locked up in a South African internment camp? They have access to weaponry that could run wild all over humanity, and yet they’re content with living in some Johanesburg slum? And then we’re communicating with these aliens? So either they learned English, or we learned their language. I don’t believe it. And then we’re serving them eviction notices. Sure, okay, because super advanced aliens still understand primitive concepts like “property” and whatnot. Inter-species prostitution? Really? It just so happens that these aliens reproduce sexually, and are “compatible enough” with humans that it can occur? Bologna. I especially hated how people were treating the aliens like noisy neighbors and not space aliens. Let me tell you something: if aliens from outer space even bother landing on this planet—when was the last time you ever stopped by an ant hill to have a chat with its leader, because the same thing applies here?—people all over the world would be losing their mind. South Africa would have been quarantined, blockaded, you name it. You’re not gonna have China, Russia, and the U.S. sit around while the UN (or MNU or whatever) “handles” an alien invasion. We (the U.S.) don’t even trust the UN when we’re going to invade a normal, human-populated country. You’d have senators screaming on TV, “We have to kill these aliens before they destroy us!” The UN wouldn’t even break out its stationary if space aliens landed. Basically, the whole premise was lame.
John Biggs here. I’m going to disagree with young Nicholas who saw this as a “serious sci-fi movie” and not an extended allegory. The whole this is a fairly obvious jab at apartheid and racism but, more interestingly, it turns the standard story of aliens landing on Earth on its head. The aliens in this case are under-achievers who can’t quite wake up enough to fight back against the treatment they’ve received and, in fact, seem happy to be living in a shanty town eating cat food. I see it as more a comedy in the vein of Shaun of the Dead than a serious sci-fi drama.
The obvious issue is why didn’t the aliens fight back? They explained that they found the prawns inside their ship dying, covered in their own filth and depending on fires for warmth. Clearly these guys aren’t going to be attempting a coordinated effort to eradicate humans. They can’t even drive cars! That said, yes, I agree that it’s a lot to take and the tongue-in-cheek story is a bit transparent at times and the eviction idea is ridiculous. But, remember, this is 20 years after they landed. Everyone is now used to the prawn.
As for the style I was looking for something in the vein of Children of Men but got Cloverfield. That’s not to say this was as bad as Cloverfield – I wouldn’t give that movie the steam of my piss, as they say – but the herky jerky camerawork was a gimmick and it worked, mostly. Children of Men, on the other hand, had some great camerawork but it was never meant to be reportage in the same way.
Heck, they even played the kid alien well, giving him just enough cute and just enough preciousness to make him a sympathetic character.
So my opinion? Great movie. The sequel will suck but it will be rendered up there with the classics.
Your thoughts?
We’ll find out more about why they were here and what their plan was in the second film. They’re setting it up perfectly for multiple films.
The language thing was my biggest beef. It just didn’t make sense, but for some reason I still believed it…
The vaporizing guns were hilarious :)
I like how the movie wasn’t your normal sci-fi alien flick. The aliens were super humanized and flawed, just like the rest of us.
The shakiness didn’t bother me. I think it went well with the whole pseudo-documentary style filming…
I got to say I did liked the Movie. I was told to be open minded and understand it is a new way to tell a story as a documentary, somehow the writers thought that giving a documentary look make more credible.
I agree there are lots of whole in the story and inconsistencies galore but it came down to a simple story of love, survival and oppression. Give the Prowns a brake, so they like cat food. I love ice-cream after hot chicken wings. Let see it for what it is… is a new way to tell a story, different not the best but different.
I dug the hell out of it. I think if you replace the aliens with humans everyone would love it and it would win all kinds of Oscars. I hope they do not do a sequel and leave it as it is – but that will not happen.
Nicolas A Deleon: So let me see if I understand you correctly. You feel that the aliens felt less real because they did not react like humans would if we are oppressed? In addition, you feel that the movie did not make any sense because there were no US or UN soldiers driven in by the truck load to safe the world?
Why do you feel that aliens should behave like humans? What is more, why do you feel that the US or the UN or China should invade a country like South Africa to save the world, but the US doesn’t need any other country’s help if the US is invaded by aliens? Sounds to me as if you’re saying that the US can sort out aliens, but other countries can’t.
What makes conventional USA alien-invasion movies more real than D9?
As far as the language problem is concerned: have you ever heard a bushman speak? Sounds almost the same as D9’s aliens. If we can understand bushmen, why should we not understand D9 aliens?
No offence, but to me it sounds as if you have a very conservative view as far as alien and human behavior is concerned. I also can’t see a country like South Africa opening their borders for the US or China to come in and sort out their alien problem. South Africans have a lot of pride and are not known to accept military assistance. They fought the English empier completely on their own during both Anglo-Boer wars for something like four years. In fact, if US soldiers came to South Africa to run things, they will probably get the same sort of reception as the aliens!
I completely agree with John on this one. I laughed a lot and I really liked the movie… particularly the main character because he was so perfectly human. I think it was a great film. Not the best I’ve seen all year, but definitely worth the watch if you know what you’re getting into. I think if you went in with expectations that this movie was going to be anything like other movies with aliens, you were probably sorely disappointed.
I liked the movie. The writers/director created a metaphor for South Africa’s problems using essentially a technological race of insects. From a biological point of view, the prawns were described as the worker class. Insect workers do not think, they have no will. They can’t fight without a leader. I would assume that the society has a warrior class that didn’t make the trip for some odd reason.
There’s an old saying that movies repeat 5 or 6 ideas by repackaging. I think this movie takes the science fiction genre in a new direction. Nicholas assumes that all alien cultures (if any exist, which I find doubtful) will be technologically superior to humans. That may be true in one respect, traveling incredible distances would require an unimaginable technology. But what if this were a mining ship? These are just workers who follow the hive mind. They don’t know how to feed themselves. They don’t know anything without the Queen. They had weapons, but they didn’t know how to use it.
The ship is going to return with a kick-ass army and weapons. My only complaint about the weapons is that they vaguely reminded me of Spielberg’s War of the Worlds martians.
I’m looking forward to a sequel. And it’s good to see a movie out of South Africa, and I found it a bit amusing that they subtitled a lot of the English. Some of the Afrikaans accented English was a bit hard to understand.
I had some of the same issues as Nick, but then I read an interview with Neill Blomkam where he explained the backstory a bit more. Apparently, the aliens have a hive mind thing going on and the Queen bee disappeared. This left a ship full of prawns who weren’t used to thinking for themselves. Christopher Johnson was one of the first prawns to start to wake up and realize he could think for himself. Explains why prawns would be willing to trade an awesome mech suit for 10,000 cans of cat food and but immediately negotiate down to 100. They’re stupid.
I wish they would have explained that a bit better.
I agree, they only had one quick blurb where they talked about the prawns as ‘workers’. I saw it with a friend and he didn’t catch that part, so it’s obvious they needed to expand on that topic.
My favorite part of the entire movie though is the awesome character development of Wikes. They really did a great job at the end of replaying the beginning of the “interview” to make it especially poignant.
Since the “workers” lost their “queen” and/or sense of direction, I would expect a “worker” to be grasping for some sort of direction… from anyone. Even humans.
David, Do you remember where the interview was you read? I’d love to check that out. Been reading a lot about this movie. Thought it was very original in it’s presentation, and an indication of films to come.
The person I went to see it with and I both think that District 9 was awesome. Personally I did not think it would be classified as sci-fi and after seeing it I still don’t think sci-fi is the appropriate category, but only to an extend. At first one might be turned off by its documentary style presentation. Something uncommon to *sci-fi*, but that’s what makes the District 9 film unique and very satisfactory. After seeing it and then watching Alive in Joburg, I am definitely looking forward to a sequel, and I hope one is made.
I’m right in the middle. I thought it was amusing and well-done, but not mind-blowing.
There were a lot of holes in the plot, because it was set up as an allegory and so it didn’t completely make sense on a literal level.
I really liked the first 30 minutes or so, with Wikus the cheery segregation enforcer happily hamming it up for the camera, and then we slowly see more and more of his dark side.
After they abandoned the documentary conceit, though, it degraded into more or less your standard action movie.
Nicholas, I would like to make the small point that property is not a primitive concept, but actually a concept belonging to more “advanced” civilizations. When European explorers landed in the Americas, they were positively baffled that the Native Americans has no concept of personal property. Likewise, the Native Americans were positively baffled that European individuals thought they deserved exclusive usage rights to certain items. A more advanced society (like aliens are usually portrayed as) does not necessarily trend towards utopian, egalitarian characteristics. I am pleased to see a film that does not portray aliens as superspecies just because they’ve developed interstellar travel.
Interesting point in David’s comment from the interview with the director. Massive fail that they didn’t actually explore that backstory a bit more.
I did not like this movie one bit. I found myself unsympathetic to any of the characters (though I almost connected with Chris Johnson and his son until the dialogue hit some of the worst clichés in cinema with the whole, “I won’t leave you behind!” . . . “But you must!” . . . “NEVEERRRRR!” . . . I had to suppress my gag reflex at that moment.) I found myself frustrated that the movie went from having plenty of potential for insight, straight into being a typical summer blockbuster action flick with a weak-ass love story tie-in.
And John Biggs. . . . I understand the temptation to compare this movie to Shaun of the Dead – but in terms of quality storytelling and character development? Not even in the same ballpark.
By the way – I should add that this is a great way to spur on some quality film discussion! Props to you fellas.
I think that the lack of back-story exploration will be address in the sequel, if one is made. If you all recall Kill Bill was a story broken in two movies and without a sequential time line. Personally I like this better, because it keeps me and other viewed interested in the story and gets the imagination going in between chapters/stories.
I never read a backstory, yet I was able to figure it out. It’s not like I’m an entomologist, but I had enough biology in college to remember how insects work. Why do directors have to explain everything? A movie should make us think.
But I disagree with ProfessionalGun. I think Christopher Johnson was a higher class of “insect”, maybe a warrior or something. He didn’t “evolve” higher thinking, he was already there, that’s why he buried the ship for 20 years.
This movie made you think. If you want in your face science fiction, I’d suggest movies like Transformers.
Heh – I definitely don’t want Transformers, Michael. I have no dispute against Christopher Johnson being different than the majority of his alien ilk. I just didn’t find myself caring about these characters – that’s my personal assessment of the way the they were developed. In my case, it’s tough to give a movie too much indepth consideration if you struggle to care about it in the first place.
I agree that the best movies often do require some thought – but I prefer a director to ask me to consider social implications or to compare and contrast (as this movie nearly started to do) the situations of one group to that of our own. I don’t want a director to ask me to think in order to strengthen a backstory that maybe could have been made a little more clear.
I hoped this movie would really take on a larger question as its focus. . . . To cause us to more strongly consider our own level of prejudice if another intelligent life form were to arrive here all of a sudden. Instead – this film seemed to use the larger question as window dressing to set up a story about an incredibly selfish character with a 500 word vocabulary (250 of which are variations of “fuck”) who eventually gets into an Iron Man suit and uses cliché lines like “Is that all you’ve got” against his enemies.
Why, oh why. I really wanted this movie to have some meat.
I do appreciate Bigg’s point that this film really turns the alien invasion genre on its head. I think that’s the strongest endeavor made by an otherwise mediocre film.
Then again, if they are super smart aliens I’m sure they could have learned our language or at least known about it before landing.
or…
The government communicated to them (somehow) that they would give them food and housing if they agreed to tell them everything about themselves. I’m sure even a malnourished non-human would do anything to stay alive.
I liked how the movie created what could be a real situation. I’m sure if we ever encounter aliens, we won’t be cheering and holding hands.
Had this movie been produced in Holly wood then Christopher Bale would have been Wikus, Megan Fox would have been his wife and they would have had a love scene in the beginning of the movie. The aliens would be gansters and have gold chains and make fart jokes. Megan would run after Bale into district 9 to try and save him and then get body snatched or something and then saved by a yellow, sometimes golden camaro. There would have been like African climatic music in the background and a whole bunch of slow-mo scenes. Shia would be the voice of one of the aliens. The heads of MNU would be like Angelina Jolie and Tom Cruise. Tom would have an eye patch because he got “hurt” by one of the aliens. And there would probably be some lame narration by Megan and Bale.
Something like that.
I rather watch it the way it was made (which was executed perfectly, especially with that budget) then a Hollywood cash-cow that was hyped up at comic con. Even though district 9 was hyped up at comic con, but that doesn’t matter! LOL!
Oh and Megan Fox would wear tight clothing and somehow manage to wear white pants in the slums and keep them white.
I just want it known that I have no complaints about Megan Fox in tight clothing. But if she showed up in this movie, I’d have eye-candy, but nothing meaningful beyond that.
And ProfessionalGun, yes, Wikus Van De Merwe was one of the most selfish, unrepentant, unlikeable characters in a movie in a long time. But again, I like that a movie doesn’t give us a likable protagonist. Christopher Johnson appeared to be one of the most interesting characters, and he was freaking insect.
I didn’t mind 250 variations of fuck. I am surprised it’s used that much in South Africa, but then again I haven’t done an extensive linguistic study of South African English. :)
I can see how people would have trouble swallowing the whole language barrier of english to click translation but i thought the unexplained acceptance of it was perfect. I felt this story didnt NEED to explain lots of the things people above have complained about. theyre distractions from the overall message. the point is that yeah aliens and us understand each other, big deal dont worry about it just accept the film mechanic employed. i liked that. looking past it i actually sympathized with an alien bug.
The prawns having a “Hive” mindset makes sense and i do feel it was explained in the movie a little bit. Again, not much – they said the leadership vanished, aka the queen etc – but enough. i came away from the movie with that general understanding i think.
and i LOVED the idea that humanity is used to the aliens being there. Im sure all kinds of things probably went down in answer to their arrival: countries in uproar, science and astronomy going down new paths, even religion! But staging the movie 20 years after the fact allows the story to skip all the politics that clog the logic. it doesnt matter. those kinds of distractions are what make and underground cult following awesome… but thats just it, its people getting the fix in of the rich story potential, and done so not in the movie. to enjoy a movie, you shouldnt allow yourself to pick apart its logic. its called Suspension of Disbelief. Sure, perhaps this movie does ask a lot of viewers to unquestionably digest, but come on its not hard to do. Plus its rewarding.
The Premise just needs to be accepted, and thats when District 9 truly becomes a great movie. Not to mention the amazing action that got my blood pressure to rise significantly. Mushroom thunder clouds? Grabbing an RPG out of the air? exploding people? hell yeah!!!!!!!!!
Best movie I have seen this year period. Maybe within the last 3 as well.
A movie hasn’t staid with me like this in a very long time. I am seeing it again tonight.
One of the best big movies I’ve seen in recent years.
@Nicholas: seriously? Humans have deciphered ancient languages from _just written text_ that seemed impossible to learn, and you think we wouldn’t be able to communicate with another intelligent species who also has language? Give me a break: step outside the tech world and learn a thing or two.
To that end, what are you comparing these aliens to and how in the world can you claim that any of this was unrealistic? Do you know what “real” aliens do? This is a work of fiction, and clearly too challenging for you: it explored different, and quite frankly much more realistic scenarios for an encounter with another species. If you went to another planet, would your only intention be takeover? No- you’d probably want to meet, learn from, and explore the new people and place.
Just like civilizations have for eons. Sometimes, there is xenophobia and they are not accepted, perhaps because they are too weak or poor to bring anything to the table, so to speak. This is the premise behind District 9.
The rest is entertaining and pretty interesting. Well shot? No. Gimmicky. By cinematic standards, this was weak and shot in a way to cover up how cheaply it was done and make it feel more documentary. Besides, most was CGI anyway, so how was it well shot?
A challenging and ambitious film with awesome action. Still very hollywood, but not very stupid.
Nicholas and Crunchgear: please stick to tech reviews. Your inane foray into film does nothing but ruin your credibility in other fields as well. Questioning whether I want to read anything by you again.
The basic problem I see in both reviews is that the movie is really two movies: one, consisting of the first half, is subtle and nuanced, while the other, consisting primarily of the second half, is the opposite. I wrote about it in greater detail here: http://jseliger.com/2009/08/18/district-9
Great, Great movie. Not perfect ,but real close. There were some holes in the story for sure , the biggest hole was , they would have kicked our ass if they wanted to , but for some reason they were sick , or lost the queen or whatever. Also , something no one seemed to point out was they were pretending to be weaker than they really were .
Best sci-fi I have seen in years.
Does anyone know why that interrogation scene in the trailers was not shown in the film? Perhaps they’ll elaborate more on that in the sequel?
I see the movie as an allegory, apartheid with aliens rather than Africans. They are treated as subhuman, portrayed as stupid, forced to live in slums, preyed upon by gangs, and not allowed to be repatriated to their home planet. Interchange the weapons with natural resources, and you have the whole plight of the indigenous people of South Africa. Remember when Wikus ran into the fast food restaurant and all of the blacks are in one line in front of the black’s only window? Wikus runs up to the white only window and demands his food while shouting out “you are legally obliged to serve me”.
That is apartheid in action. The uprising will be taking place in the sequel.
All these responses, and nobody pointed out the difference between stationary and stationery? A professional journalist should know better, and that what made me lose all respect for the article.
I have read all of your comments about the movie and I can’t wait for it to be released in South Africa.
To see my home town in a Hollywood movie is so great
So until I get to see it….Thanks
i really loved this movie. At first i was thinking to walk out of the cinema if the dcumentary style continued for more than 5 mins. but then when this style was dropped it was an amazing story making us feel like bad people for feeling sorry for the shellfish when we stood back for decades and watched apatheod continue.
Humanity really had to look itself in the mirror