Just got back from seeing it. It was good but not what I expected and not in a good way. The story wasn’t that complicated, didn’t have any twists or turns, and the characters were ultra-shallow stereotypes. You had the evil father-in-law secretive government guy, the trigger happy mercenary guy, the gullible hero guy.
If they were going for a realism documentary style then the characters were too action movie 101.
It had sci-fi elements but never slowed down to tell a good sci-fi story. The first half was very predictable and you could probably even guess what was going to happen to the main character from the previews the guy slowly turns into an alien ala 1980s The Fly. Kind of boring to watch.
Then end really picked up into a fast-paced action flick and reminded me of the better dusty-gritty scenes from Terminator Salvation. Cool weapons and splosions and stuff. Actually a lot of cool mindless fun.
So, definitely worth seeing as a top-notch mindless alien action shoot-em-up film.
Just don’t go in expecting a thought provoking sci-fi piece.
And a question about the end
I thought the point of getting prawn and prawn jr. to the mothership was to gather up everyone and go home? But then we see that a million or so of them are now living happily in district 10? Did they leave or not?
As I understand it, Deus Ex Machina is something that comes from outside anything the story had previously set up. If you find it implausible, improbable or even just stupid, then it’s simply just that; but Deus Ex Machina has a certain distinction. All the problems, and their solutions that happened in this movie, however implausible you felt they were, acted within the confines of the plot and story they initially set up, and didn’t cheat in any way.
But hey, have it your way.
ETA: Wizards and magic potions are just examples of what a DExM would be in this case. C’mon. :rolleyes:
Then your understanding is contrary to the definition I cited.
Again though, splitting hairs, and it’s ultimately irrelevant to the specific issues I had with the movie.
I know. My point, conveyed in a slightly exaggerated manner, was that your definition was so constrained, that seemingly almost nothing could be considered a Deus Ex Machina.
After 20 years, their numbers had multiplied. Also, it seemed their life support was in bad shape when they first arrived anyway. And on top of all of that, loading up the entire population would have been a long, drawn out process, that I’m sure MNU would try to put a stop to. So, the father and son simply went to go get help… we are to draw our conclusions from there.
I don’t know the historic accuracy of this definition, but this seems to align with what I’ve seen of modern usage of the term. IMO, the cited sequence fits such a definition, it may not in your opinion. That’s fine–we don’t have to agree on this. Don’t let my opinion ruin your hard-on for D9.
Exactly. Not many stories result to a Deus Ex Machina, because it’s so groan-worthy. The wiki article points to some good modern examples, like the “It was all a dream” variety.
I couldn’t care less about your opinion of the movie, but at least criticize it based on knowing what the hell you’re talking about. The things you describe in the film being a Deus Ex Machina don’t fit with any definition you or me are describing. And you’re right, we don’t have to agree on this, I’m simply right, and you’re wrong.
It must be easy to convince yourself of such things when you’re unwilling to accept the fact your classical definition no longer strictly applies to modern usage. The situation I specified does fit the “Illogical placement and timing Deus Ex Machina” which I did describe, and you subsequently quoted.
But whatever, let’s carry on past this, shall we? Or we can continue this via PM, if you wish, as this issue no longer pertains to the movie.
Not sure what you mean. The VFX are indeed pretty seamless, and they went for gritty and photoreal. It was done by Weta Digital, the same group that did the effects for Lord of the Rings (Golum), and King Kong; among others. Perhaps it’s the perfect movematching they did with the handheld camera-shake that helped sell the effect even more?
It’s not that I don’t recognize other definitions and varieties, but there are no examples you point to in the movie that match any definitions, classical or modern.
That’s all I really have to say, as well. Unless you can express further why you think those things seemed so illogical, I can’t understand where you’re coming from.
Otherwise, I’m done.
I honestly don’t see how the mech sequence requires any furthers elaboration beyond what I already stated, as it seems to be almost a near-perfect example of “Illogical placement and timing Deus Ex Machina.”
They showed the Prawns bartering weapons and mechs for the entire first half of the movie. They even had a sequence where they traded the mech for 100 cans of cat food. The human thugs captured Wikus, and they were surrounded by all the alien goods. The Kid Prawn activated the mech to see if he could help, it’s not like he didn’t know what the situation was. Makes perfect sense.
You may have all day, but I really have better things to do, as I hope you would too.
Here’s where we differ: you believed it was plausible. I do not. The kid managed to take control of the machine just in time to magically save the protagonist the moment before he was able to be injured/killed. It was contrived, jarring, and seemed out-of-place in a movie that was seemingly trying to present events (albeit with some pretty exceptional elements, like aliens) in a realistic manner.
Whoops, sorry about that. I meant to cite the original souce, being TVTome. It gets confusing with all those spoiler and quote tags =P I’ll see if I can get a mod to fix it…
I just got back from seeing it and I think it’s the best sci-fi/action movie I’ve seen in a long time.
The premise is a bit like Alien Nation in some ways, even down to the human-alien “buddy” relationship that develops. But it’s a much grittier and more intense take on the theme, and the protagonists face a very different problem. You could probably name a dozen other science fiction movies that it draws elements from (Starman, The Fly, Robocop, etc)
It isn’t perfect. I do agree with the criticism that it doesn’t really explore the social issues it presents in the first act in a very meaningful way–instead it turns into more of an action flick in the last act. On the other hand, it’s certainly okay for a movie to present a problem or situation without completely resolving it or answering all questions, leaving them instead open for further consideration by the audience. The ending, especially, provides plenty of food for thought about what the near future holds for humanity.
It does have some substance to it, and it tells its story in a smart and efficient manner, which is quite refreshing compared to most of the other big action/effects movies I’ve seen this summer (Terminator 4, Harry Potter, Transformers 2, GI Joe). District 9 is heads, shoulders, knees, and toes above them. Even Star Trek–which I enjoyed–had a lot of stupidity in it that could have been cut to make a better movie. In District 9, everything serves to set up the story and advance the plot. I found the characters interesting and the story and pacing gripping and engrossing through the end.
The special effects are really great. The aliens seemed substantial and very much as though they were really there, interacting with the humans and the environment.
I absolutely loved it. One thing I loved was how much actual screen time the aliens got. You got to see them close up, interact, converse/gurgle with themselves, etc. as opposed to many other films that would depict similar-looking aliens as jumping out from nowhere, attacking, flitting behind crates, etc.
Some things of note:
What are your theories about why the prawns are here? The direct leaves a TON of questions unanswered:
1.) What do they call THEMSELVES? We name them after some indigenous crustasceon, but I’m sure they have a more dignified term for themselves.
2.) Um, culture, religion, origin? They toy around with this by tossing some vague theories, but they’ve been here for 20 years, nobody thought to ask questions like, “What do you call your planet, where is your sun located, how different is your planet from ours, etc.”
3.) Their technology can pop humans like blood-filled water balloons, yet they live in a slum in south africa, getting punked around by physically weaker, technologically inferior beings (us).
4.) did anyone stop to wonder what the heck is going to happen if they come back and realize how badly we’ve been treating the 2 odd million of their population? I will use the presence of alien mech suits and human popping ray guns as my cite for the argument that maybe, MAYBE, this won’t go well for us.
5.) I can see the potential for a sequel with “Christopher” (MNU designated name) coming back but his brethren so appalled at how we treated their castaways they decide we should feel what its like when the shoe is on the other foot.
6.) I FOR ONE WELCOME OUR SOON TO BE ALIEN OVERLORDS (in 3 years) they can take south africa for all I care America is passing the buck on this one lol. I will be more than willing to serve in the CFPC- Cat Food Procurement Corps, to ensure no reprisals come down on my own community/race. Glory to the hive queen!
One fun thing i liked about this movie is how it shows a certain degree of human nature regarding xenomorphs. We expect if aliens arrive, they’ll either destroy us or make us gods. Talk about presumptuous! guess we can’t handle life on another plant simply not giving a damn about our own existence
