So only one person caught that the "fan" in my last pic post is SG's own resident geek cutie Wil Wheaton. You guys didn't wonder why out of a hundred fan pics I only posted that one? *tsk tsk* Oh well, not everyone can be awesome and nerdy. I went back and put the word 'fan' in quotes to make the joke more obvious for all you too cool for school kids. 
Anyways!
Due to the overwhelming popularity of Inglorious Bastards (hate that misspelling and refuse to do it!) and not wanting to contend with the crowds, my friend and I went to see District 9 instead.
After hearing all of the positive reviews from friends and family, I was surprised at myself for not immediately liking it more. I left the movie feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. The movie was filled with scientific unlikelihood and seemed very loose as far as explanation and plot development went. I then realized that the fault was not necessarily in the film itself but more so, in the way I was approaching the film.
Allow me to explain.
See, I went into the theater thinking I was about to see a Science Fiction movie. Now as a huge geek and self-proclaimed Sci-fi movie buff, all I saw in District 9 was one scientific flaw after another. What do we know about the Prawn species? Well, judging by their advanced weaponry, their extensive medical and biological knowledge, and their ability to navigate throughout the universe, I think it is safe to infer that we are dealing with a highly advanced species. We also know that they are probably not an aggressive species. They didnt put up any kind of fight and allowed humans to enslave them despite their advanced weaponry and large numbers. Plus, they have their weapons programmed to only be fired by members of their own species. That means that they frequently encounter members of other species and so it is likely that they enjoy exploration and cultural study. You might argue that they invade other planets or destroy other species. But if that was the case, they would not have had young on the ship or allowed themselves to be held hostage without putting up any kind of fight. So I think we can all agree.they are a peaceful race. Intelligent and peaceful.
So! Why then, after only twenty years of captivity do they revert back to primitive, unruly and barbaric behavior? It seems that 99% of their population has the personality and intelligence of a mangy junkyard dog while a few of them are able to rebuild ships and fix their complex technology with a few spare computer parts they find lying around. Highly unlikely! Maybe if one hundred years had passed or two hundred, yes, then I could see there being some overall moral decay. The old generation might die out in that amount of time and what remains is a less educated, more aggressive second or third generation. But twenty years is hardly long enough for the social degradation of almost 2 million intelligent, peaceful aliens.
Also, the way their arrival on Earth was treated and how they were being held is also unlikely. The Philadelphia Zoo has their elephants taken away from them because they dont have anything to play with there and Im supposed to believe that the mistreatment of 2 million highly advanced aliens would be tolerated? I think not.
Anyway, I could go on and on about other implausible scenarios and scientific situations in that movie but I am straying too far from my point.
My revelation came to me after I sat down for awhile and gave the movie some thought. (A long drive home is a good opportunity for serious thought!) I then realized that I had approached this movie the wrong way entirely. District 9 has all the elements of a science fiction movie exceptthat it isnt one!
It is a satire. One so obvious that I was embarrassed with myself for thinking it otherwise. The movie is more akin to something Jonathan Swift would write than Arthur Clarke or Carl Sagan would dream up. In fact, District 9 is probably the modern day Modest Proposal. They both take a wild and completely unlikely scenario and twist it into a serious story to disguise a political or ethical message.
District 9 is not about aliens, or a mans journey to reclaim his life, or escaping a concentration campit is about humanity. Plain and simple. It is just another reminder that no matter how far we come we are still afraid of change, scared of the unknown, and judgmental toward the physically different.
As satires go, it is not bad. It definitely gets its point across and you will walk out of the theater feeling slightly ashamed to be human.
All in all, not bad. It isnt the best movie Ive seen lately, but it is certainly not the worst. I had some issues with the documentary style filming and the way it seemed to cut out of that mode for very short instances without any good reason. (Other than that they probably couldnt think of a better way to explain what was happening without showing some private moments between the aliens.) I also hate loose ends in plot development. Some directors think it is clever to leave things up to the audiences imaginations but I just think it is lazy writing.
Okay, enough ranting for one night!
When I rant like this it is usually due to being tired and too much in my head about things.I need to get to bed before I find something else to pick apart.
Anyways!
Due to the overwhelming popularity of Inglorious Bastards (hate that misspelling and refuse to do it!) and not wanting to contend with the crowds, my friend and I went to see District 9 instead.
After hearing all of the positive reviews from friends and family, I was surprised at myself for not immediately liking it more. I left the movie feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. The movie was filled with scientific unlikelihood and seemed very loose as far as explanation and plot development went. I then realized that the fault was not necessarily in the film itself but more so, in the way I was approaching the film.
Allow me to explain.
See, I went into the theater thinking I was about to see a Science Fiction movie. Now as a huge geek and self-proclaimed Sci-fi movie buff, all I saw in District 9 was one scientific flaw after another. What do we know about the Prawn species? Well, judging by their advanced weaponry, their extensive medical and biological knowledge, and their ability to navigate throughout the universe, I think it is safe to infer that we are dealing with a highly advanced species. We also know that they are probably not an aggressive species. They didnt put up any kind of fight and allowed humans to enslave them despite their advanced weaponry and large numbers. Plus, they have their weapons programmed to only be fired by members of their own species. That means that they frequently encounter members of other species and so it is likely that they enjoy exploration and cultural study. You might argue that they invade other planets or destroy other species. But if that was the case, they would not have had young on the ship or allowed themselves to be held hostage without putting up any kind of fight. So I think we can all agree.they are a peaceful race. Intelligent and peaceful.
So! Why then, after only twenty years of captivity do they revert back to primitive, unruly and barbaric behavior? It seems that 99% of their population has the personality and intelligence of a mangy junkyard dog while a few of them are able to rebuild ships and fix their complex technology with a few spare computer parts they find lying around. Highly unlikely! Maybe if one hundred years had passed or two hundred, yes, then I could see there being some overall moral decay. The old generation might die out in that amount of time and what remains is a less educated, more aggressive second or third generation. But twenty years is hardly long enough for the social degradation of almost 2 million intelligent, peaceful aliens.
Also, the way their arrival on Earth was treated and how they were being held is also unlikely. The Philadelphia Zoo has their elephants taken away from them because they dont have anything to play with there and Im supposed to believe that the mistreatment of 2 million highly advanced aliens would be tolerated? I think not.
Anyway, I could go on and on about other implausible scenarios and scientific situations in that movie but I am straying too far from my point.
My revelation came to me after I sat down for awhile and gave the movie some thought. (A long drive home is a good opportunity for serious thought!) I then realized that I had approached this movie the wrong way entirely. District 9 has all the elements of a science fiction movie exceptthat it isnt one!
It is a satire. One so obvious that I was embarrassed with myself for thinking it otherwise. The movie is more akin to something Jonathan Swift would write than Arthur Clarke or Carl Sagan would dream up. In fact, District 9 is probably the modern day Modest Proposal. They both take a wild and completely unlikely scenario and twist it into a serious story to disguise a political or ethical message.
District 9 is not about aliens, or a mans journey to reclaim his life, or escaping a concentration campit is about humanity. Plain and simple. It is just another reminder that no matter how far we come we are still afraid of change, scared of the unknown, and judgmental toward the physically different.
As satires go, it is not bad. It definitely gets its point across and you will walk out of the theater feeling slightly ashamed to be human.
All in all, not bad. It isnt the best movie Ive seen lately, but it is certainly not the worst. I had some issues with the documentary style filming and the way it seemed to cut out of that mode for very short instances without any good reason. (Other than that they probably couldnt think of a better way to explain what was happening without showing some private moments between the aliens.) I also hate loose ends in plot development. Some directors think it is clever to leave things up to the audiences imaginations but I just think it is lazy writing.
Okay, enough ranting for one night!
When I rant like this it is usually due to being tired and too much in my head about things.I need to get to bed before I find something else to pick apart.
VIEW 12 of 12 COMMENTS
Tarantino has repeatedly stressed that despite its being a war film, the movie is his "spaghetti western but with World War II iconography".
And yes District 9 was definitely allegorical, they went all "Watership Downs" on this one and in that I think they did a fair job, the setting in South Africa was not without reason.