# District 9: Rave Reviews So Far... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2009, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152 "2009-08-12T07:49:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/301 "2009-08-25T00:00:06Z")
> [@Quint](#): > > The combat suit in autonomous mode could easily protect dad, after all it can stop bullets and shoot them back, automatically identify enemies of the prawns and eliminate them. The problem is that despite the fact that aliens have mastered interstellar travel, r/c, and ballpoint pens, the ability to have the suit really kill the baddies is seemingly eliminated when Wikus gets inside. Because it likely has an either manual or automatic mode, but no hybrid mode… or sumpthin’. Yeah but when you think about it, the autonomous mode has several canned protection modes, it registered a prawn with user/admin or root permissions as far as its bio metric scanners was able to tell in danger and reacted, with the nigerians down, the threat level drops the suit into standby. It did not matter if wickus was human or hybrid, the genetic scanners showed him to be a prawn, but for further interaction, he needed to be inside. Could they have done it better , I dont know. Declan ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/302 "2009-08-25T03:21:21Z")
Replying to a comment somewhere on this page that _didn’t_ have to do with surprises v. d.ex machinas: I too found the sequence where they forced Vikus to shoot the alien weapons with his transformed arm the most horrifying in the movie. It almost made me sick to my stomach. So well done the way you are suddenly identifying with a basically unlikable character; you are made to see that its wrong to treat _anyone_ like that, as just an object. Despite plot flaws, I really liked this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/303 "2009-08-25T03:31:19Z")
> [@Quint](#): > > Hmmmmmm, a suit of armor comes to life at the very last possible second with the exact capabilities required to free our hero from the impossible situation he finds himself in. Classic Hollywood- ratchet up tension to impossibly high levels by putting hero in impossible situation, throw in suspension-of-disbelievable DEM, audience thrills ensue. For the last time, it’s not DEM if (a) it was shown earlier in the movie and (b) its activation occurs through the direct actions of one of the major characters of the movie. Endlessly repeating “DEM! DEM!” doesn’t make your use of the phrase any less incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/304 "2009-08-25T04:50:54Z")
Now, if a Mod suddenly came in here and deleted every post making references to DEM, that would, literally, be a DEM. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/305 "2009-08-25T05:03:16Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > For the last time, it’s not DEM if (a) it was shown earlier in the movie and (b) its activation occurs through the direct actions of one of the major characters of the movie. Endlessly repeating “DEM! DEM!” doesn’t make your use of the phrase any less incorrect. well, if that’s your final word I suppose replying is pointless, but if an object introduced earlier improbably and “out of the blue” acquires the exact qualities required to rescue the hero from an otherwise impossibly fatal situation then it is imo an example of DEM. That being said, if you can give me an example of something you would consider DEM from another movie (preferably one I have seen) I will rethink my position based on its level of preposterousness. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/306 "2009-08-25T05:11:21Z")
Dash! I tried, and failed, to edit. I am quite certain that “my position’s level of preposterousness” is now likely going to be mocked. C’est la vie! ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/307 "2009-08-30T05:30:28Z")
Weirdly, I was very entertained by the movie and yet not at all surprised. It seemed pretty formulaic in some ways, no real twists. Liked it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Gcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gcat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/308 "2009-09-08T14:50:16Z")
Thought I’ve had. While the conditions The Aliens are living in are deplorable to human standards, I wonder if they are to The Aliens? Did you notice the “tattoo” on the side of Chris and his son face? Is this on all of them? Is it an id #? I wonder what Chris would have done if he had NOT found out about the experiments? Would he have went home and not come back, leaving the rest of The Aliens here? I’m not sure if Chris could fix Wikus. It could have been a lie. I thought I heard some of the newscasters use the word “prawn” so am puzzled by how derogatory the word is. I found it interesting how business like the treatment of the prawns was. Destroying egg sacs was just another thing that had to be done. I was reminded of China’s one child policy, with how The Aliens had to get permissions to have offspring. I’m pretty sure the only human to know that Chris would come back in 3 years was Wikus. So the only reason for Earth to raise defenses would be for guess of a threat. Why was Fundiswa Mhlanga, Wikus’ assistant in prison garb at the end. I thought he said he search MNU computers and found out about MNU illegal activities. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/309 "2009-09-08T14:54:12Z")
He was in prison precisely _for_ exposing state secrets. He apparently decided exposing MNU was worth going to prison for. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/310 "2009-09-08T19:31:14Z")
I feel as though I’m somewhat late to the party, but I’ma throw in my two cents. I liked _District 9_. I agree with a previous poster in that I’m a little disappointed that they removed the alien interview scene, but it was good. From the get-go, it was very tense, and the reason I felt that way was because I could see it actually happening in real life. After watching it in the theater, my boyfriend and I just sort of sat there quietly, somewhat stunned. (It’s not a very good date movie, for the record.) I was also very pleasantly surprised to find that Sharlto Copley was an amateur actor. His performance as Wikus was fantastic. Anyone know if he plans on doing other acting gigs, or is this a one-time-only affair? I think I mostly file this film under the heading “Great movies that you should see once, but don’t need to see again.” Maybe I’ll come back to it in another 20 years or so. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/311 "2009-09-09T12:53:41Z")
> [@Gcat](#): > > I’m not sure if Chris could fix Wikus. It could have been a lie. I thought he was lying at first, but he must have been telling the truth, since at a critical moment he said it was going to take 3 years (thus inspiring Wikus to clobber him and steal the ship). If he’d been shining him on, he never would have said something Wikus didn’t want to hear. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/312 "2009-09-09T18:23:41Z")
I thought that was just a case of, “Oh, uh, yeah, I can still cure you. But, um, it’ll take a little longer than I thought. You’ll just have to keep helping me out until then.” Which backfired. ---
**Author:** ![Gcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gcat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/313 "2009-09-10T02:06:58Z")
I don’t think anyone has posted the URL for the movie.[http://d-9.com/](http://d-9.com/) The “Rules and Regulations” is VERY interesting. I learned that the “tattoo” I saw is actually a Tag, that The Aliens must wear at all times, for their whole lives. Also, The Aliens have to have their occupational status displayed in a stamp on their forehead. They can only work in mines. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/314 "2009-09-11T14:42:23Z")
Well, I saw it last night and liked it a lot, despite the rather slow build, imo. I assumed that Christopher and his companion were the only surviving bridge crew (or whatever) able to plan ahead, although the other one did seem quite stupid. If there’s a sequel, my guess is that Chris’s prawn overlords return, see 3,000,000 degenerate, feral prawns and decide they’re not worth rescuing! They are a hive society, after all! They decide to spray District 10 with a tailored nerve gas, but because it uses their DNA in it in some form, all the humans in the area start to en-prawn like Wikus did, and chaos ensues! ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/315 "2009-09-13T03:27:49Z")
I liked this movie a lot. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was really good. The parts that got to me the most were: 1. In the lab, when Wikus begs them not to make him kill the prawn. Such horrible desperation and terror in his voice–it was stunning. 2. At Chistopher’s shack, when he went for help and realized that all Christopher wanted was to go home. That was what Wikus wanted, too–to go home and live a normal life. For the very first time, Wikus feels a flicker of empathy. 3. When Christopher promises Wikus that he will surely come back in three years. Just the way he assured Wikus that he was not being abandoned permanently was moving to me. 4. The ending–it speaks for itself. If there is a sequel, I would just LOVE to see that jerkoff of a father-in-law get reamed a new one by his daughter for all the suffering he put her through! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/316 "2009-09-20T03:48:01Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > I’m really looking forward to this movie. Unfortunately, I have no one to go see it with. My SO will NOT go to see any movies that feature aliens. Doesn’t matter that they are being oppressed.1 Tell your SO that the the wife and I watched _The Proposal_ and _District 9_ back to back yesterday, and while she liked _The Proposal_, she loved _District 9_. We’re hoping for a sequel. (To _District 9_.) ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/317 "2009-09-24T18:03:46Z")
I liked the film a lot; perhaps the best I have seen this year so far. It was one of those films which shifted gear in the middle from a satirical mockumentary to an action film. Often these kind of switches don’t work but I found the second half just as enjoyable as the first. Often I find myself bored during long action scenes waiting for them to end but that wasn’t the case at all here. Partly this was because the action scenes were superbly shot; that moment when the mecha catches the RPG is one of the best examples cinematic bad-assery I have seen in a long time. Partly it’s because the film has established two characters who you are rooting for. In particular Wikkus was a terrific character; both the writing and the acting. Even in the early scenes the script gives him moments of decency which are built on to convincingly produce the “conversion” near the end. Actually I found myself rooting for him even before that moment. ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152/318 "2009-09-25T01:00:58Z")
Just saw this today also. Great film that left me hyperventilating in my seat for several minutes of the credits. Here’s a plot hole (I think) that hasn’t been discussed. They showed that the missile batteries were able to hit the command module when Wikus was piloting it. Why weren’t these fired at the command module when it was being tractor-beamed at a much slower speed to the mother ship? All we saw was the RPG that Wikus-bot stopped… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-9-rave-reviews-so-far/506152.md?page=15)