Eric
01-21-2010, 05:09 PM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/District_nine_ver2.jpg
District 9
Good science fiction always finds a way to take some sort of current event and put it into a completely different world. "Battlestar Galactica" did this regularly, where you'd be watching the internal struggles of (for example): the best way to interrogate enemy prisoners, the separation of religion & government, or when we found ourselves cheering for the guerrilla warfare-tactics of the humans fighting against Cylon-occupied territories. Just when you were like "hey, that's just like...", they'd show a shot of a spaceship and you'd realize that it's just a show set in outer space/different worlds, etc.
"District 9" is an excellent science fiction movie for that very reason. It doesn't take long to realize that you could (and were supposed to) substitute any human race in for the "prawns". It also focused on the evils of researching on non-human creatures, along with the evils of large corporations. Do a little research and you will inevitably stumble across "District 6", which this movie was based on.
Anyway, there are many reasons why I enjoyed "District 9" so much. I thought the viral advertising that was done before this movie came out was very well done, with cryptic signs, bumper stickers, websites and more. Very similar to how "Cloverfield" was done a couple years ago. Like I mentioned, the story is good, original, and keeps you interested. First time director Neill Blomkamp was excellent, and the main character blew me away.
For me though, the biggest reason that I liked this movie was the special effects. And not because they were so cool, or amazing, but because they were so seamlessly integrated into the movie. The shots with the craft above Johannesburg were unbelievable. The mobile armor and weaponry were excellent, but I kept coming back to the "prawns" themselves because I could not believe how nearly perfect they were. Watch it again (I did, once by myself and had to stop it about 3/4 way through because I knew my wife would enjoy it), and try and pay attention to how the creatures are integrated into the movie. Also keep in mind that every single one (other than the corpses on the medical/testing tables) were computer generated.
There was one scene where the Christopher Johnson creature and his little one were searching their shed with a flashlight and I was stunned at how well everything worked together. The lighting effects, the interaction with the environment, everything it just looked so real. It wasn't unrealistic & over the top (G.I. Joe, Transformers, etc), it was subtle and showed the shine and polish that is rarely seen nowadays, since everything needs to be bigger (Transformers 2), louder with more lens flares (Star Trek!). It was nice to see dirty, gritty, and less than perfect creatures so beautifully created.
I'm gushing over the effects, but that's what put this movie over the top for me. Absolutely see it if you haven't. I put this into one of my 5 films that I wanted to see in the theater last year but wasn't able to (and was sad about that!). So I was pleased that I finally saw it and enjoyed it. Sequel is potentially on the way, and hopefully this gets Neill Blomkamp the cred to make the "Halo" movie!
5/5
District 9
Good science fiction always finds a way to take some sort of current event and put it into a completely different world. "Battlestar Galactica" did this regularly, where you'd be watching the internal struggles of (for example): the best way to interrogate enemy prisoners, the separation of religion & government, or when we found ourselves cheering for the guerrilla warfare-tactics of the humans fighting against Cylon-occupied territories. Just when you were like "hey, that's just like...", they'd show a shot of a spaceship and you'd realize that it's just a show set in outer space/different worlds, etc.
"District 9" is an excellent science fiction movie for that very reason. It doesn't take long to realize that you could (and were supposed to) substitute any human race in for the "prawns". It also focused on the evils of researching on non-human creatures, along with the evils of large corporations. Do a little research and you will inevitably stumble across "District 6", which this movie was based on.
Anyway, there are many reasons why I enjoyed "District 9" so much. I thought the viral advertising that was done before this movie came out was very well done, with cryptic signs, bumper stickers, websites and more. Very similar to how "Cloverfield" was done a couple years ago. Like I mentioned, the story is good, original, and keeps you interested. First time director Neill Blomkamp was excellent, and the main character blew me away.
For me though, the biggest reason that I liked this movie was the special effects. And not because they were so cool, or amazing, but because they were so seamlessly integrated into the movie. The shots with the craft above Johannesburg were unbelievable. The mobile armor and weaponry were excellent, but I kept coming back to the "prawns" themselves because I could not believe how nearly perfect they were. Watch it again (I did, once by myself and had to stop it about 3/4 way through because I knew my wife would enjoy it), and try and pay attention to how the creatures are integrated into the movie. Also keep in mind that every single one (other than the corpses on the medical/testing tables) were computer generated.
There was one scene where the Christopher Johnson creature and his little one were searching their shed with a flashlight and I was stunned at how well everything worked together. The lighting effects, the interaction with the environment, everything it just looked so real. It wasn't unrealistic & over the top (G.I. Joe, Transformers, etc), it was subtle and showed the shine and polish that is rarely seen nowadays, since everything needs to be bigger (Transformers 2), louder with more lens flares (Star Trek!). It was nice to see dirty, gritty, and less than perfect creatures so beautifully created.
I'm gushing over the effects, but that's what put this movie over the top for me. Absolutely see it if you haven't. I put this into one of my 5 films that I wanted to see in the theater last year but wasn't able to (and was sad about that!). So I was pleased that I finally saw it and enjoyed it. Sequel is potentially on the way, and hopefully this gets Neill Blomkamp the cred to make the "Halo" movie!
5/5