Comments on: District 9 And Its New Take On Alien Invasions http://blog.robotforest.com/2009/08/18/district-9-and-its-new-take-on-alien-invasions/ Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:03:38 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Andrew K. http://blog.robotforest.com/2009/08/18/district-9-and-its-new-take-on-alien-invasions/comment-page-1/#comment-3078 Andrew K. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:13:40 +0000 http://blog.robotforest.com/?p=2140#comment-3078 *******Lots of Spoilers in my Comment******** I have to agree with you on your take on the film. Though I have to say, I disagree with you on your opinion on the mocumentary/conventional film making. The way that Director Neil was able to combine the two VERY different types of videography was very interesting and refreshing to say the least. Can't recall the last time I've seen that type of style and in all honesty, it won't be the last. What was interesting was how seamlessly he was able to switch from one style to the next without jarring the audience too much. I am willing to bet your life (I'm too vain to bet mine) that we'll be seeing tons of stupid youtube videos attempting to achieve this type of style. That being said, there are certain areas that the film could have done better in. After talking to you, I really put some thought into this and how or even why the director chose/left/forgot to fill in these blanks. Yes, as Daniel says, the film was interesting for what it left out but in any good story, there are certain things that you can't leave out. I understand the message that the director wanted to portray. But there really wasn't any connection with either the Prawns or the Humans. As the audience, we couldn't sympathize with any sides. All the ooh's and the ahh's in the theater was not the audience rooting for one side or the other but merely the joy of seeing shit getting zapped and blown up. We didn't give a flying fuck who the fuck died or who got zapped. We just wanted whatever the fuck that could get zapped to be zapped. There was no connection. The only connection that I felt was with Wikis. He's truly the only 3 dimensional character in the film. Everyone else was bad. There was no good side to anybody. The humans wanted to evict and do tests and shit. Fuck them. Division 1 or Battalion 1 whatever the fuck they are liked to kill Prawns. Fuck them. The Prawns like cat food and fight and fuck shit up. Fuck them too. Even Christopher wasn't a 3 dimensional character. He's a typical Hollywood leader. Obviously intelligent, stops fighting when he sees his people as test subjects, fucking nice. We can assume that he was the Captain of the ship since he knew how to fly the damn thing. But if he was the Captain...WHY THE FUCK DOES HE ONLY HAVE 1 PERSON WORKING FOR HIM? (as well as his son but his son doesn't have a choice. His dad made him help so that doesn't count) The film had a lot of opportunity to get some really great messages across but it stopped short at ACTION MOVIE instead of taking the next step into OSCAR WORTHY MOVIE. I honestly felt that it had the potential to win an Oscar if certain areas were filled in. That being said, as his first feature film, Bravo Mr. Director. I had a fucking blast watching shit die. I walked out of the theater wanting to see more of those bullet stopping robots, laser guns, zapping and blowing up, and shit dying left and right. Fucking Righteous. Little fun tidbit about the film: They had a script but everything that Wikis did was improv. Neil basically told Sharlto to do whatever the fuck he felt was right in the moment as long he he hit certain points that would help the film along. Amazing work by Sharlto and Neil Blomkamp. ak.47 *******Lots of Spoilers in my Comment********

I have to agree with you on your take on the film. Though I have to say, I disagree with you on your opinion on the mocumentary/conventional film making. The way that Director Neil was able to combine the two VERY different types of videography was very interesting and refreshing to say the least. Can’t recall the last time I’ve seen that type of style and in all honesty, it won’t be the last. What was interesting was how seamlessly he was able to switch from one style to the next without jarring the audience too much. I am willing to bet your life (I’m too vain to bet mine) that we’ll be seeing tons of stupid youtube videos attempting to achieve this type of style.

That being said, there are certain areas that the film could have done better in. After talking to you, I really put some thought into this and how or even why the director chose/left/forgot to fill in these blanks. Yes, as Daniel says, the film was interesting for what it left out but in any good story, there are certain things that you can’t leave out. I understand the message that the director wanted to portray. But there really wasn’t any connection with either the Prawns or the Humans. As the audience, we couldn’t sympathize with any sides. All the ooh’s and the ahh’s in the theater was not the audience rooting for one side or the other but merely the joy of seeing shit getting zapped and blown up. We didn’t give a flying fuck who the fuck died or who got zapped. We just wanted whatever the fuck that could get zapped to be zapped. There was no connection.

The only connection that I felt was with Wikis. He’s truly the only 3 dimensional character in the film. Everyone else was bad. There was no good side to anybody. The humans wanted to evict and do tests and shit. Fuck them. Division 1 or Battalion 1 whatever the fuck they are liked to kill Prawns. Fuck them. The Prawns like cat food and fight and fuck shit up. Fuck them too. Even Christopher wasn’t a 3 dimensional character. He’s a typical Hollywood leader. Obviously intelligent, stops fighting when he sees his people as test subjects, fucking nice. We can assume that he was the Captain of the ship since he knew how to fly the damn thing. But if he was the Captain…WHY THE FUCK DOES HE ONLY HAVE 1 PERSON WORKING FOR HIM? (as well as his son but his son doesn’t have a choice. His dad made him help so that doesn’t count)

The film had a lot of opportunity to get some really great messages across but it stopped short at ACTION MOVIE instead of taking the next step into OSCAR WORTHY MOVIE. I honestly felt that it had the potential to win an Oscar if certain areas were filled in. That being said, as his first feature film, Bravo Mr. Director. I had a fucking blast watching shit die. I walked out of the theater wanting to see more of those bullet stopping robots, laser guns, zapping and blowing up, and shit dying left and right. Fucking Righteous.

Little fun tidbit about the film:
They had a script but everything that Wikis did was improv. Neil basically told Sharlto to do whatever the fuck he felt was right in the moment as long he he hit certain points that would help the film along. Amazing work by Sharlto and Neil Blomkamp.

ak.47

]]> By: Daniel Pennington http://blog.robotforest.com/2009/08/18/district-9-and-its-new-take-on-alien-invasions/comment-page-1/#comment-3072 Daniel Pennington Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:13:17 +0000 http://blog.robotforest.com/?p=2140#comment-3072 D9 was interesting not for what it included, but for what it left out. No heavy-handed Hollywood moralizing. Shiftless violent aliens kept in camps to protect them and humans. Humans who begin a rescue mission but dissolve into placing the aliens in internment camps. No explanation as to why the ship is disabled, how the apparently lazy aliens could have piloted the ship, why they are here, what they want. And there is no easy explanation of what can be done about them. They are "managed" by a Multi-national corporation (reminds me of Blackwater). And most of this is passed over with a casual matter-of-factness that we seldom see in movies. The facts are almost boring to the players in the movie. The protagonist is as un-heroic and uninteresting as any we've ever seen. His task seems simple enough, but even that he buggers up. Only when things go desperately wrong does the movie turn to more action. This movie doesn't feel like any movie I've ever seen. D9 was interesting not for what it included, but for what it left out. No heavy-handed Hollywood moralizing. Shiftless violent aliens kept in camps to protect them and humans. Humans who begin a rescue mission but dissolve into placing the aliens in internment camps. No explanation as to why the ship is disabled, how the apparently lazy aliens could have piloted the ship, why they are here, what they want. And there is no easy explanation of what can be done about them. They are “managed” by a Multi-national corporation (reminds me of Blackwater). And most of this is passed over with a casual matter-of-factness that we seldom see in movies. The facts are almost boring to the players in the movie. The protagonist is as un-heroic and uninteresting as any we’ve ever seen. His task seems simple enough, but even that he buggers up. Only when things go desperately wrong does the movie turn to more action. This movie doesn’t feel like any movie I’ve ever seen.

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