District 9

[park92]

christopher built the spaceship i think under his house

 

[Phyroxis]

I thought it had potential that it never quite realized. The metaphor for Apartheid and the faux-documentary were interesting (but 15 years too late for the metaphor) and the action scenes were exiting. The main problem is that the movie becomes generic, but well directed, action movie at the end. If you're looking for a dumb action movie, you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you're looking for a thought provoking sci-fi movie, you'll be very disappointed.

I thought that's what it did best, being a thought provoking sci-fi movie. The reason I say that is I could have just listened to the audio and gotten a great experience. Much unlike most action flicks where the Special Effects are the selling point and the story is full of holes, or just bad to begin with. The action was more of a bonus for me. A fucking awesome bonus.

Exactly what I was thinking. The action was good on its own, but better because the characterization was good. We actually cared about Wikkus and Christopher, so the action was that much more heavy hitting. Moviebob hit the nail on the head with that.

I agree.. I totally thought this was more than just a generic sci-fi action flick. I really felt something while watching it.

 

[TheBigInterview]

I thought the movie sucked. The plot was so slap-stick it was not a step above Tranformers 2. The main character was dispicable. The attempts to tug on our heart-strings were not either more subtle or more deep than ringing a gong next to our ears.

The whole movie hides in its premise to avoid having to explain itself. If it had been about anything else we'd all tear it down.

District 9 is like Transformers 2 except that movie did not claim to be more than it was.

The main character was an asshole for the most of the movie, because it was a growth story on that part.

And was the emotional stuff really that blunt? Most of it was there to make a point as far as I could tell.

And would anyone even care if it wasn't sci-fi? Can't say for sure, but the setting does give the movie a couple important plot-devices.

First, thanks for giving me a reasonable reply.

The main charater was an asshole and I would have accepted that it was about his growth up to the point where he hit Christopher with a shovel. That removed all sympathy I had worked up for the character. The final fight scene where he was actually selfless fell flat for me emotionally because I kept rooting for the bad guys to kill him.

As far as the movie being about making a point, I honestly don't see what it is.

I should also expand on what I mean that the movie "hiddens in its premise". Really this plot is not good. Why is it that a substance capable of turning a human into a prawn is important for the workings of a spaceship? How did the spaceship get buried there, weren't the eyes of the world focused on this place? Why were the aliens there in the first place? What did Christopher even have to escape to, if there was anywhere for him to go why did the aliens come to Earth in the first place?

So many things are left unexplained I just can't think well of the plot. Its like the movie relies on the strength of its premise to keep the audience for noticing these things. If the whole idea of the movie wasn't so novel I don't think it would have been recieved well with a plot like this.

First of all, I don't see any logic in your argument at all.
Because he hit someone over the head with a shovel, that made the movie bad? You lost the sympathy you had for him. That makes the movie good. That means they were doing their job of evoking an emotion out of you. To get you to respond to the characters.

You can align the main characters growth to Tyler Durden, except backwards. He went from a antagonist to the protagonist. I don't know many movies that have done that.

Also, one of these hidden things you are talking about happen in real life all the time. And this is the point they're trying to make. 9-11, the Iraq War. There is media ban enforced on them by the government. And this is what they're getting at. We'll never know anything because of things like the MNU (aka, the United States Government).

Also, seriously. Have you ever heard of an imagination? Not everything has to be told you to. It's not their jobs to hand you the information, just like in real life, you need to assume. You also need to use logic.

 

[Lexodus]

Film was totally awesome, although when he

Spoiler

pulled out his nails

I almost

Spoiler

vomited, as that has happened to me before

.
Character was great, because there was actual depth and development; he started as a wimpy little shit that you wanted to kill, and only near the end did he grow some and get to the badassery. Als, he looked like a South African Chuck Norris, which was awesome.

The other bit I loved was when they stated how surprised everyone was when the ship didn't stop over Washington or Manhattan. Fuck yeah, that bit was awesome. Also, the distinct lack of Standard USA Response to Aliens (capturing whatever thing has just landed, claiming it in the name of the US when they have no right (it's a FUCKING ALIEN, you can't claim it as your property, you arrogant pricks), attempting to hush everything up and preventing other countries' investigations, attempting to dissect subject, letting subject escape through sheer incompetence, going ape-shit with the military to no effect, getting slaughtered, and causing whatever disaster the main characters are trying to avoid) was a pleasant change, even if a couple of elements of said response were present.

 

[Lexodus]

christopher built the spaceship i think under his house

I'm pretty sure the spaceship was the bit that fell out of the mothership when they arrived (Christopher explained that it couldn't get back, as it didn't have the fluid, and then he piloted the mothership with it, leading me to believe it was actually just a mobile steering wheel, in effect) and the meatbags humans couldn't find it because it was buried.

 

[Lexodus]

I really want to see this movie!

If you're squeamish, you'll hate quite a bit of it.

 

[The Lost Big Boss]

I think Spoony from the good'ol experiment had a pretty good opinion on it. (And thanks the magic of Copy+past, here it is)

Anyway, I remembered something else that would have been good to see in the documentary approach, and a very good reason the prawns would be met with widespread hostility: religion.

The presence of extraterrestrial life is heretical to many forms of organized religion, who believe that God created Man in His own image. There?s nothing in those books about God creating prawns on the seventh day, and knowledge of their existence would cause global theological disillusionment, sending hundreds of millions into a crisis of faith never before imagined. Some might reform their religious texts, be progressive about the whole thing, but by and large, the prawns? arrival is the death of God. No longer is Earth the favored planet, Man the chosen life form. Suddenly we?re shown to be inferior to a pack of bipedal roaches. You?d have mass suicides, wars, civil unrest manifesting in hate crime on an unprecedented scale. Millennial cults would spring up like weeds, fearing the appearance of these ?demonic-looking? creatures as a sure sign of the end-times.

Now that?d be a documentary.

LONG LIVE SPOONY!

OT: The one thing I didn't get was the ending (SPOLER)

So at the end the ship gets activated and the alien just leaves every one behind? Are they going to come back and take their people home. Are they going to start a war now that they are organized and have a leader to give them orders? I think the director has good material for a solid sequel.

 

[jugglerguy]

The one thing I really like (and hasn't already been said) is that at the end they stated that there was a District 10. This means we won't get any shitty hyped-up sequel. Smart move.
I hope...

On the contrary, that might be exactly what it means.

 

[p3t3r]

i thought the movie was flipping great best movie i have seen in a while

the movie almost made me cry during the part when christopher was telling his son the were gonna go to district 10 instead of home D:

 

[WayOutThere]

You also need to use logic.

I respond to you, you respond to me. I point out the problems I have with your post you point out the problems you have with my post. You can't just say I have no logic on my side until I can't actually support my postion. Just because you don't see the logic in my arguments doesn't mean I can't clarify it to show you what the logic behind my thinking is. I am far from out of this yet.

that made the movie bad?

not in itself

You lost the sympathy you had for him. That makes the movie good. That means they were doing their job of evoking an emotion out of you. To get you to respond to the characters.

But we are SUPPOSE to care for him. That is the whole point of him fighting valiantly like he did. We are SUPPOSE to be rooting for him. Now I was angry, I did repond to his character in that. BUT, instead of being sucked into the movie I was just thinking BLA BLA BLA, will this crap just be over with already?

This is my point. I wasn't attached to ANY of the characters. Christopher and his son got to me a little but not much. I did not care what happened to ANY of them. At this point, I just didn't care what happened. I had lost all interest in the story.

For a story to be good you have to care about what happens.

Also, seriously. Have you ever heard of an imagination? Not everything has to be told you to. It's not their jobs to hand you the information, just like in real life, you need to assume.

I can understand the point you're making but this point simply cannot be applied to this movie. The plot was not intellectually satisfying, it was just ridiculous. I really don't like not having things be explained but I'm OK with it to a point. I was angry when the origins of the monster in Cloverfield were not explained but is that really so important to the movie? No. It accomplished exactly what it set out to and I enjoyed that movie. The major point I'm making here is that this movie did not suspend my belief.

It is as if no effort was put into the plot and the producers were just counting on us to not notice how lazy it all is (and it worked!).

Also, one of these hidden things you are talking about happen in real life all the time. And this is the point they're trying to make. 9-11, the Iraq War. There is media ban enforced on them by the government. And this is what they're getting at. We'll never know anything because of things like the MNU (aka, the United States Government).

Well, you're point is perhaps fair. They seemed like your typical evil coorperation to me. I'll take a bit more convincing on this.

Do you watch ZP? Here's a very rough quote he said in his Braid review that I think applies to this:

"Its like telling a joke and no one laughs and then explaing the joke and people say 'hey, thats clever' but no one laughs because you didn't tell the joke right."

Although, I admit the possibility that on this matter I'm just thick.

You can align the main characters growth to Tyler Durden, except backwards. He went from a antagonist to the protagonist. I don't know many movies that have done that.

I don't really know who Tyler Durden is but about a character going from antagonist to protagonist I don't think that happened for Merwe. It is good to see a main character who isn't a generic fantasy hero for sure but like I've said Merwe's transition just fell flat for me.

Edit: Sorry, what I mean when I say that "I don't think that happened for Merwe" is that his transition had no positive emotional effect on my like a plot twist like this is designed to have.

-----

Now, if you would please just respond to my arguments and not jump to the conclusion that I can't possibly have rebuttals to your arguments.

 

[park92]

oh lolz cause i thought they made it out of scratch cause that guy was a frickin genius lolz

 

[yaik7a]

That Could have been one of the best movies evar !

 

[Joos]

The action sequences, especially with the Exo-armor, were some of the best I've seen in the film. D9 managed to convey a good plot and emotional intensity, as well as intense action, in a seamlessly interwoven fabric of pure amazing.

My only criticism: I know it's trying to be real and all, but could they have eased up on saying "fuck" so much? I'd settle for 40% instead of the 60% of the dialogue.

They are not in the US. Fuck is not so bad in SA apparently.

 

[Draco Kaiser]

Is this a PG-13 movie cause if it is I could see it. I wanted to see it after seeing everyones reviews of it.

 

[mrpenguinismyhomeboy]

I mostly liked it, but I found a huge plot hole. How did the weapons get off the ship? I refuse to believe the aliens made them on the ground.

 

[mrpenguinismyhomeboy]

[
I don't really know who Tyler Durden is...

Then your opinion doesn't matter. JK.

But anyway you should really see fight club cause it's a great piece of cinema.

 

[TheBigInterview]

You also need to use logic.

I respond to you, you respond to me. I point out the problems I have with your post you point out the problems you have with my post. You can't just say I have no logic on my side until I can't actually support my postion. Just because you don't see the logic in my arguments doesn't mean I can't clarify it to show you what the logic behind my thinking is. I am far from out of this yet.

that made the movie bad?

not in itself

You lost the sympathy you had for him. That makes the movie good. That means they were doing their job of evoking an emotion out of you. To get you to respond to the characters.

But we are SUPPOSE to care for him. That is the whole point of him fighting valiantly like he did. We are SUPPOSE to be rooting for him. Now I was angry, I did repond to his character in that. BUT, instead of being sucked into the movie I was just thinking BLA BLA BLA, will this crap just be over with already?

This is my point. I wasn't attached to ANY of the characters. Christopher and his son got to me a little but not much. I did not care what happened to ANY of them. At this point, I just didn't care what happened. I had lost all interest in the story.

For a story to be good you have to care about what happens.

Also, seriously. Have you ever heard of an imagination? Not everything has to be told you to. It's not their jobs to hand you the information, just like in real life, you need to assume.

I can understand the point you're making but this point simply cannot be applied to this movie. The plot was not intellectually satisfying, it was just ridiculous. I really don't like not having things be explained but I'm OK with it to a point. I was angry when the origins of the monster in Cloverfield were not explained but is that really so important to the movie? No. It accomplished exactly what it set out to and I enjoyed that movie. The major point I'm making here is that this movie did not suspend my belief.

It is as if no effort was put into the plot and the producers were just counting on us to not notice how lazy it all is (and it worked!).

Also, one of these hidden things you are talking about happen in real life all the time. And this is the point they're trying to make. 9-11, the Iraq War. There is media ban enforced on them by the government. And this is what they're getting at. We'll never know anything because of things like the MNU (aka, the United States Government).

Well, you're point is perhaps fair. They seemed like your typical evil coorperation to me. I'll take a bit more convincing on this.

Do you watch ZP? Here's a very rough quote he said in his Braid review that I think applies to this:

"Its like telling a joke and no one laughs and then explaing the joke and people say 'hey, thats clever' but no one laughs because you didn't tell the joke right."

Although, I admit the possibility that on this matter I'm just thick.

You can align the main characters growth to Tyler Durden, except backwards. He went from a antagonist to the protagonist. I don't know many movies that have done that.

I don't really know who Tyler Durden is but about a character going from antagonist to protagonist I don't think that happened for Merwe. It is good to see a main character who isn't a generic fantasy hero for sure but like I've said Merwe's transition just fell flat for me.

Edit: Sorry, what I mean when I say that "I don't think that happened for Merwe" is that his transition had no positive emotional effect on my like a plot twist like this is designed to have.

-----

Now, if you would please just respond to my arguments and not jump to the conclusion that I can't possibly have rebuttals to your arguments.

Sorry about being on the offense. I read your post on a bad day. This movie just affected you less than me. Point taken. My apologies.

 

[CuddlyCombine]

But anyway you should really see fight club cause it's a great piece of cinema.

Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. He should see what?

 

[mrpenguinismyhomeboy]

But anyway you should really see fight club cause it's a great piece of cinema.

Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. He should see what?

Fight Club. It's awesome.

 

[The Kangaroo]

The three complaints I have about it is that:

1.Everybody in the movie was so comically evil, nobody had any ounce of support for the prawns and everyone wanted them dead.

2.Every person of both species could completely understand each other no matter how complicated the conversation got.

3.The reporter should not be aloud to say fuck with that accent.