"District 9" is definitely unique as far as sci-fi flicks go. Most movies of said genre either rely on alien creatures being hostile or helpful--these were considered a nuisance. The film is shot like a documentary; we're told the large alien spacecraft hovering above the South African city of Johannesburg has been unable to leave for twenty years, allegedly due to a ship malfunction. The city creates a temporary habitat for the aliens, but this soon turns into a kind of ghetto. The whole thing wreaks of concentration camp. (I thought the movie was better with limited knowledge of the plot, but for a more details, see here.)
What got me most about this movie was the portrayal of alien emotion. There is one part in particular, that I don't think I'll ever be able to watch again. It made me feel so much pity for the character that it was almost unbearable. Is it a sad thing to realize that I feel more sympathy for a CGI alien than an actual human being? I've become rather numb towards human suffering...
Aside from the shaky camera cinematography, the movie is awesome. The special effects are spectacular, and the storyline is intelligent and engaging. I can't say the acting was fantastic, but it was damn good for being a cast of newcomers. It's definitely worth a watch; the perspective on our response to extra terrestrial life is disheartening, but highly probable!
I just saw the movie recently too and liked it and disliked it at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked the acting, because it really reminded me of the Afrikaans South African ( the only character that seemed out of place was that one black guy who spoke with an American accent).
What was odd was, why the alien had to hide that he was trying to get back home, especially if he was a nuisance. Wouldn't the people have rather helped them, which would eliminate the problem of even having to transfer them?
Yeah, I agree that the acting fit the area, but I guess there were times in the movie where I thought the dramatics were a little overdone? Maybe it was just me. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think as much as the government advocated the movement of the aliens for the city's benefit, they liked having them there--they had an endless supply of guinea pigs. I think the alien hid because he wanted to get it working and leave as soon as possible, without the possibility of more mistreatment and/or experiments. I think I'd probably keep it a secret, if only to eliminate having to stick around my crap surroundings any longer than necessary.
Buuuut, I kind of wondered, if they had such awesome weaponry, why didn't they ever riot? I guess for fear that we'd retaliate and wipe them out? But sheesh, if they were intelligent enough to create such technology, you'd figure they'd come up with a way to bribe us, or at least just lie and say, "Look, if you don't treat us fairly, we've figured out a way to contact our planet, and we'll just wipe you out." We wouldn't have known any better.
Okay wow, sorry that comment was so long...
ReplyDeleteit hasn't even been released here yet, and it was made here! Because S.A doesn't have a big entertainment industry, when a South African movie gets released, everyone goes crazy with excitement. It was like that here when Charlize Theron won her Oscar and when Tstosti won best foreign language. You should see the hype this film is getting here, its unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteWow, I can imagine! That's pretty neat, though. I don't think the film would've been the same had it been shot somewhere else. :)
ReplyDelete