District 9

[Pas]

I've had the ''HOW DID THEY UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE'' talk a lot. It's as if people cannot imagine the concept of learning of a second language.

Also once had the : ''If they have such a big spaceship, how come they're so stupid that they like cat food'' which I will just not comment.

[diggler]

Also once had the : ''If they have such a big spaceship, how come they're so stupid that they like cat food'' which I will just not comment.

these people are the reason the situation in this movie would happen in the first place

[abuck1220]

i was really annoyed by the pointless documentary style crap at the beginning, and the way they just abruptly dropped it 40 minutes in made its worthlessness even more apparent.

it was ok.

[picolas]

i was really annoyed by the pointless documentary style crap at the beginning, and the way they just abruptly dropped it 40 minutes in made its worthlessness even more apparent.

how else are they supposed to convey all that historical information?

[polkablues]

Yeah, I thought it was a very economical way of getting across a lot of exposition, as well as immersing us in the reality of the situation.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

I'm halfway in this argument.  I don't mind that it's a mockumentary, but what bothers me is that they then kept the handheld ascetic, which made me wonder if a camera crew was following them or what.

Why they didn't switch to tripods (or why all movies think that handheld looks good no matter what, even if it doesn't serve the story) is totally beyond me.

Still amazing for a $30 million dollar movie, but couldn't they have worked tripods into the budget?  There is surely something to be said about a still frame with motion inside.

[MacGuffin]

Astounding! What I don't think anyone has commented on is that the film had a heart, too. And that's mainly due to the lead actor. There's a heartbreaking scene mid-way through when he talks to his wife that is like The Fly via Love Story. And then the ending scene shows that, along with all the action and sci-fi, it's simply a story about a man who will risk it all to be with his wife again. At times harrowing, other times funny, it was great rollercoaster ride through different genres. I'm glad it didn't stick with the Cloverfield-style POV all the way through. I think it would have completely lost the story and emotion that you ended up getting caught up in by being more objective to the lead character's plight.

[MacGuffin]

reactions to this movie are so strange. when i went to see it everyone was leaving the theater beaming, talking about how it was "the best sci fi in a long time" and blah blah blah. then today i go into my office and a bunch of my co workers had seen it and were all talking about how it was one of the worst movies they had ever seen (to the point where they were laughing hysterically while discussing it).  these are all intelligent people who generally have good taste in movies too. did i miss something? (i really liked it)

6 things people really hate about our beloved District 9
Source: SciFi Wire

Just about everyone we know loves, or at least strongly likes, District 9. That includes us. It's got a 90 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has critics using words like ferocious, provocative and original. It's also made more than $100 million at the box office.

So what's not to like? Apparently, quite a bit. We noticed that the few people who didn't love District 9 seemed to hate it. And we mean really hate it, calling it things like brainless, moronic compost and racist. When we decided to find out why, we found out they usually hate it for one of six reasons:

[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

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It really isn't that original.

"It's mainly a compost of other sci-fi movies, as old as RoboCop, Aliens and The Fly and as recent as Cloverfield and Transformers. It's a bad joke that District 9 will be hailed for its 'originality.' The movie's main fun comes from wondering what coin of the pop realm Blomkamp will pluck out from his memory bank next."—Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun

"The film becomes a ham-handed mish-mash of most science-fiction action movies you can think of. You start with Alien Nation, then add The Fly, stir in some of The Rock to get our closed-off military swagger on, and dump in a healthy amount of Aliens so we can get our bio-mech groove on at the end. The main problem is this film is a pale shadow of the films it references. Like a band which is inspired by a much cooler band, I would rather spend time with the source of inspiration."—Trey Hock, Scene Stealers

"Hailed as 'Wildly Original' by a lot of critics, I saw everything coming about 10 minutes ahead of time. Does that make me psychic, or does it mean that I have seen this story's elements a hundred times before? If you like science fiction, wait for this one to come out on DVD. If you need to see this movie right now, you'd get the same story elements by renting The Fly and Alien Nation."—Travis Saunders, The Lincoln Journal

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Its science is senseless.

"The science of District 9 takes a nosedive when alien and human DNA intermingle, which makes a human suddenly grow a claw in place of a hand. It's hard to imagine alien biochemistry being so compatible with ours by chance, and absurd to think it would lead to overnight changes in someone's gross anatomy. (Human-animal hybrid cells have been created in real life, but the results are not as dramatic.)—David Shiga, New Scientist

"At every turn, District 9 presented me with one moronic scene after another. It's one of those movies that doesn't bother to explain anything thanks to one obvious reason: the creators have no idea. The more questions you ask yourself, the more ridiculous the movie becomes. How is the mother ship still floating in air 20 years after coming to a stop? Don't ask. Why didn't the aliens use the miracle goo from their technology to leave the planet when they were still aboard the ship? Don't ask. How come humans can understand the alien language? Don't ask. How come we didn't detect a huge command module buried 10' underground, despite television footage of it separating from the mothership? Don't ask. This alien fuel-goo also mutates people into aliens? Don't ask. District 9 is smart science-fiction? My god. If this movie is a sign of things to come, then the bar has truly sunk to a new low."—Jack Devore, Info Addict

"Ultimately the movie made no sense. Just a few quick 'What were they thinking' moments: the huge ship that sat up there for 20 years is suddenly able to move. The huge ship has a tractor beam that ultimately made getting the fuel moot. All the scientists and military in the world became bored enough to just leave the ship hanging up there—no science team, no weapons experts, and no permanent team on the ship. No one wants to study or help the aliens badly enough to study or help the aliens."—robohannon, MoviesOnline

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The plot is full of holes.

"I found it hard to believe a government would cut into a mysterious alien ship. The risk of disease or accidentally triggering intergalactic war is too great. They then ferry a million aliens down to earth? It goes on and on. No one item is a deal breaker, but I found myself getting bogged down in these minor details instead of enjoying the story."—Steve Mullen, Byte Me

"This is the most overhyped movie I've watched in memory. The great failing of District 9 is not its actors, nor its directing (though it is questionable), but the terrible writing. The plot is far too full of holes for a movie that takes itself so seriously. I'm fine with accepting the premise that desperate aliens came to Earth, but everything that took place in the story after their arrival made no sense. The characters were simply cartoon cutouts—the only significant character who wasn't an inane plot device was the main protagonist, and even he was given short shrift by the screenplay. If you want some action, you'll find it, and it won't completely bore you. If you want to see a well thought-out story that actually affects more than your basest emotions, you will be disappointed."—John O., MetaCritic

"I don't want to suggest that District 9 is disappointingly stupid because it fails to meet up to the standard of contemporary written SF, because, frankly, I haven't read a 'contemporary' science fiction novel ... ever. I've only read the classics, mostly from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. No, District 9 is stupid even by the standards of a modern action movie."—Greg Lamberson, Fear Zone

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It's racist.

"Why can't the Nigerians just be people with logical motives like money and weapons? Why do they have to go out of their way to be ooga-booga savages? The film would still have held up without the narrative elements of cannibalism and interspecies sex. Why do the blacks have to be sexual degenerates who will eat filth and violate the oldest human taboo by committing cannibalism? The only reason I see is to shoehorn some cheap visceral thrills into the movie. It's lazy, sensationalist writing, and it diminishes the potential for intelligent, nuanced allegory."—Nicole Stamp, Racialicious

" ... the depiction of Black Africans left a lot to be desired. In fact, the review was rather tame in describing the film's offensive and regressive portrayal of Black people in the film. First of all, despite the film being set in South Africa, practically most of the black people appearing in the film are nothing but background fodder as extras with a few given a line here and there. The only potential major black character in the film, who plays Copley's assistant, gets a few scenes in the beginning usually with a terrified, scared rabbit look on his face looking like he's about to run for his life, and is not seen again until briefly at the end. Not exactly heroic. The other main black characters are of course the evil bad guys ... " —Sergio, Shadow and Act

"Fools will accept District 9 for fantasy, yet its use of parable and symbolism also evoke the almost total misunderstanding that surrounds the circumstance of racial confusion and frustration recently seen when Harvard University tycoon Henry Louis Gates Jr. played the race card against a white Cambridge cop. Opening so soon after that event—and adding to its unending media distortion—District 9 confirms that few media makers know how to perceive history, race and class relations."—Armond White, New York Press

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It's nothing more than another brainless blockbuster.

"Even given the emotional investment by the viewers, the story is little more than a two hour long chase scene with explosions and firefights. There is an emotional component, but it reaches as deep into the audience as body lotion. Every time it seems there could be a question of morality, or a moment of emotive genius, it is blown up, shot or runs away."— LaRae Meadows, Empire Report

"When the main character—Wikus Van De Merwe, who leads the MNU project—gets poisoned by an alien concoction and begins to evolve into one of them, the premise devolves into a common, visual-effects laden, disappointing chase flick."—Gary Wolcott, atomictown.com

"The picture is bursting with battles royal—with bullets buzzing, flames bursting, blood flowing, crustaceans crackling. The fresh premise over, the stale action returns. Having exhausted its blazed trail, District 9 simply steers back to the rutted road of excess."—Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail

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And in the end ... who cares?

"There is no real character development, not even for the principal fellow who has the most direct contact with the aliens which are called prawns by the humans, nor does Blomkamp's tale provide suspense. That being the case, there is no one in the picture to care about, nor are we successfully prompted to have empathy or sympathy for the creatures despite the hard luck that finds them fish out of water, so to speak, desiring nothing more than to go home."—Harvey Karten, ShowBiz Forum

"This might have been brilliant 20 years ago as a piece of agitprop designed to stir the masses against the elitist white power structure. But coming so late in the game, District 9 is like an over-decorated yet forgettable Christmas present: attractive on the surface but extremely disappointing within."— Carl Kozlowski, Pasadena Weekly

"There's a difference between science fiction and faux science fiction. The difference comes in whether the plot and characters are believable and the audience actually cares. In the new Peter Jackson flick, District 9, I found that I could not care less about the stupid characters who plague this faux genre. ... Not only is this film disgustingly horrible, but I couldn't find any reason to care about the characters and whether or not they survive, or whether Wikus gets to be human again."—Kimberly Grant at the South Florida Times

[MacGuffin]

Nigerian officials: 'District 9' not welcome here
 
ABUJA, Nigeria – One of the summer's biggest blockbusters — a sci-fi morality tale about aliens and apartheid — is not welcome in Nigeria because of its portrayal of Nigerians as gangsters and cannibals, Nigeria's information minister said Saturday.

Information Minister Dora Akunyili has asked movie houses in the capital of Abuja to stop screening "District 9" because the South Africa-based sci-fi movie about aliens and discrimination makes Nigerians look bad.

"We have directed that they should stop public screening of the film," she said. "We are not happy about it because it portrays Nigeria in bad light."

Akunyili said she has asked Sony for an apology and wants them to edit out references to Nigeria and to the name of the main Nigerian gangster Obesandjo, whose name closely resembles that of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

"We have written to the producer and distributor of the film, Sony Entertainment, expressing our displeasure and demanded an apology," she said. "We have asked that the areas where Nigeria and Obasanjo are mentioned should be edited from the film."

She and other government officials first saw the movie Wednesday during a private screening.

In one scene, Obesandjo tries to cut off and eat the arm of the film's protagonist, in an attempt to gain his supernatural powers. In others, Nigerian prostitutes are seen courting alien customers.

The film's portrayal of Nigerians has also drawn the ire of critics and bloggers, and has spawned a Facebook page called "Nigerians Offended by 'District 9,'" which had 57 members on Saturday.

Corlize Luttig, marketing manager for the South African cinema chain Ster-Kinekor, who represent Sony in South Africa, said they had no comment on the request by Akunyili. Ster-Kinekor does not distribute to Nigeria, she said.

Luttig said they were still waiting for comment from Sony's head office in Los Angeles.

"District 9" tells the story of an alien ship that mysteriously comes to hover over the South African city of Johannesburg. Its inhabitants are separated from the human population and segregated into a walled area known as District 9. But after nearly 30 years, government officials aim to relocate the extraterrestrials, with disastrous results.

The film is first feature from commercial and music-video director Neill Blomkamp, who co-wrote the script with Terri Tatchell. The film, which features a cast of mostly unknown South African actors, got its big-name backing from producer and "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson.

The film brought in some US$37 million during its U.S. debut weekend in August. In its five-week run at U.S. theaters, it has brought in an estimated US$108,000,000, according to studio estimates.

[Pubrick]

because of its portrayal of Nigerians as gangsters and cannibals,

haha, well you can't really argue with that, fair enough. but i guess they didn't have a problem with their portrayal as notorious SCAMMERS.

i thought the use of africa's worst stereotypes was pretty brilliant actually. they DO eat albinos, so why not aliens? besides that guy wanted it cos he couldn't walk (right? or was he just lazy..).

anyway, this was easily one of the best movies of the year, and moreso for not being expected. everything about the film was a surprise, which is precisely what freaked out most of the haters, as pas pointed out. i don't see the ambiguity between the initial mockumentary style and the actual movie style. one of them had the MNU watermark on the corner and then it didn't -- pretty much after he started throwing up white stuff. i hate speaking in categories but the acting has to be singled out as particularly laughable for everyone except the main man Wikus, hell even Christopher the alien was more emotionally believable than Mrs Wikus and her dad. that's the only flaw i would acknowledge.

i originally thought this was the perfect precursor to AVATAR but after seeing the trailer for that cartoon i would say this is the real thing. expect nothing from AVATAR that this movie didn't do already, and competently. they are very similar films, not entirely plot wise (dude basically becomes alien and fights on their side -- sort of, not a perfect match), but in that they are both experiments built around the technology. anyone who's ever done special effects or tried to push their skill to its limit have realised they might as well make it interesting. you see this in Blomkamp's HALO shorts, but also in this film. he had a relatively limited budget to make a convincing effects-heavy story.. so of course you want handheld, of course you want an excuse to make the aliens out of focus, of course you want to cover them in dust or blood or explosions. i mean.. that aspect is brilliantly handled. this is about as great a use of special effects as there ever has been since Jurassic Park.

LOVED
wikus in the suit, not seeing anything through his eyes, only watching the projection on his face.
christopher breathing/sighing/dejected look as he's kneeling, when wikus in the suit walks away from him (before turning back).

HATED
when wikus tried to fly up to the mothership and crashed (obviously!). what the hell did he expect to do up there? he was lucky to even get the thing off the ground. that was so dumb.

WINNER
he's making the flower. awesome.

[Pas]

besides that guy wanted it cos he couldn't walk (right? or was he just lazy..).

haha I think lazy.

The film's portrayal of Nigerians has also drawn the ire of critics and bloggers, and has spawned a Facebook page called "Nigerians Offended by 'District 9,'" which had 57 members on Saturday.

lol 57 that's tens of thousands less than the other facebook page called ''Nigerians who are starving''

edit : I am just told they are mainly not starving! good news!!!

[Pozer]

finally saw this/finally loved this. had the whole theater to ourselves 

i really dont have much more to add. i saw it this late and was still completely surprised. there was brilliance all about this picture, loved the Wikus/Christopher alien relationship..the turn the story took. 

this is about as great a use of special effects as there ever has been since Jurassic Park.

that's what i said afterwards! wait, did i take that thought from your post?

HATED
when wikus tried to fly up to the mothership and crashed (obviously!). what the hell did he expect to do up there? he was lucky to even get the thing off the ground. that was so dumb.

one of its flaws for sure. understandable that they wanted to show his determination to not wait three years but they shouldve had him take Christopher hostage/Christopher purposely crashes the ship. or something.

WINNER
he's making the flower. awesome.

has there been a better final shot to a movie this year??

i am curious to know what piece of shit movie this guy saw..

saw this tonight and thought it was a piece of shit.   

it was interesting for a while but degenerated into the worst summer action nonsense.  Wasn't ever for a moment close to being great..

[MacGuffin]

Sony has set the terrific sci-fi film District 9 for DVD and Blu-ray release on 12/29. There will be a single-disc DVD (SRP $28.96), a 2-disc DVD Special Edition ($36.95) and a Blu-ray ($39.95). There will also be a UMD version. Extras on the single-disc DVD will include director's commentary, the Koobus Big Gun featurette and the 3-part The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log documentary. The 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray will add 4 featurettes (Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus, Innovation: Acting and Improvisation, Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9 and Alien Generation: Visual Effects). To that, the Blu-ray will add BD-Live, movieIQ, cinechat and the Joburg from Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 interactive map.

[MacGuffin]

MRC Coins Next for District 9 Helmer
Source: Variety

Media Rights Capital has committed to the next film by "District 9" writer/director Neill Blomkamp.

The untitled science fiction pic will begin production by mid-2010. Bill Block will produce.

Block, the CEO of QED, was first to commit funding to "District 9" before Sony's Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired the film based on a Blomkamp-created graphic novel. "District 9" became a breakout summer hit for Sony in the South African-born filmmaker's feature debut.

MRC's CEO Modi Wiczyk and MRC Films president Tory Metzger committed to the new project on the basis of Blomkamp's pitch. 

MRC is giving Blomkamp creative freedom and a production commitment that isn't contingent on domestic distribution. The director and Block will get an ownership stake in the finished product.

Blomkamp will immediately start writing and preparing the visual effects. The film will be modest by sci-fi standards, but it will certainly cost more than "District 9," the under-$30 million budget film that grossed more than $184 million worldwide.

MRC will engage distributors around the time the picture goes into production.

Blomkamp made "District 9" under the guidance of Peter Jackson, who previously godfathered the director's effort to make his feature debut on "Halo," before the Microsoft vidgame adaptation was unplugged by Universal and Fox over budget concerns. Blomkamp said he harbors no bitterness over that slight, and sparked to an MRC scenario that guaranteed he'd be able to transfer his vision to the screen.

"MRC is letting me make the film I want to make and that is by far the most important thing here," Blomkamp said. "The film will hopefully be commercial, but it is very much a singular film, that comes directly from me. `District 9' was a bit different. I was learning the process then, under Peter Jackson's wing. He had control, but was awesome enough to let me make the film I wanted to. Bill's producing this with MRC, so the difference is Pete's involvement.

"Pete was kind about pushing me for `Halo,' which was a huge opportunity and huge risk. It was neither of our fault that the film collapsed. Creatively, I don't operate from a place of revenge, so when I got into `District 9,' `Halo' was long gone from my mind. From Pete having such faith in me, to getting to know the people at Sony through the process of `District 9,' I couldn't be happier with the way things worked out."

Blomkamp said he's not intimidated, being given so much creative freedom in his sophomore outing—with no Jackson this time around. 

"I'm not particularly interested in massive budget films, or creating huge spectacles that some young directors might be attracted to," he said. "Hopefully, this will be a bit unique, very much a reflection of me. It is absolutely another science fiction film, quite different from `District 9,' but some of the blending of genres and the tone might be within the same realm."

Wiczyk said that MRC has been interested in Blomkamp since his calling card was his visually distinctive commercials. 

"Neill is ferociously independent, an auteur, and a self-generator, all qualities that make him right for MRC," Wiczyk said. "He set a high bar, with a film so fresh and original, with political, philosophical and allegorical themes that define the best of the science fiction genre. Some of the most brilliant filmmakers have worked in sci-fi, and Neill made his film with less money than most of them."

Blomkamp will certainly make a "District 9" sequel with Sony—will the bureaucrat-turned-alien return to human form and reunite with his pretty wife?--but the MRC project will be Blomkamp's next directing assignment.

For MRC, the deal helps build the next slate already underway with the Matt Damon-starrer "The Adjustment Bureau" and the M. Night Shyamalan-produced "Devil." Since the summer, MRC has seen the release of most of its first slate, with Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno," Ricky Gervais's "The Invention of Lying," Robert Rodriguez's "Shorts" and the about to open Richard Kelly-directed "The Box." Wiczyk said he's on track to meet the goal of four to seven films per year. 

None of those early films was a blockbuster—the much-hyped "Bruno" did not have the legs of Baron Cohen's "Borat"—and that has some questioning how the MRC formula is working in a climate where studios are severely tightening purse strings. Wiczyk predicts MRC will flourish in hard times. 

"When you buy an MRC movie, the price is the price," he said. "You won't get rolled for an over-budget film; that is our problem. In this climate, certainty is at a premium. And go find me a Matt Damon film with action and suspense that is cheaper than `The Adjustment Bureau,' or a genre thriller from M. Night Shyamalan at the price we will deliver. We feel great about the way things are going. One of the things we look for is repeat business both with talent and distributors. We've got two more films at Universal with `The Adjustment Bureau' and `Devil,' and Ricky Gervais and Robert Rodriguez are now involved in TV projects with us."

And the verdict on "Bruno?"

"It was profitable," Wiczyk said. "It grossed $155 million worldwide. That is another measurement. Either a film is profitable or it isn't, and this was."

[SiliasRuby]

I just saw this and my God, I'm speechless. This is going in my top ten. Sorry I don't have much to say but it was one hell of a ride and my jaw is on the floor.