District 9

[Vic Mancini]

While I too hope this movie is greatly successful, I really don't want it to spur development of a sequel. I can't really see how they'd make a sequel without retreading the path laid down by other scifis in a inanely predictable manner.

Of course there will be a sequel. And much like how District 9 ended up being little more than a platform to wow audiences by blowing people up in super cool ways with super cool alien weapons, District 10 will be a platform to wow audiences with more of the same but on a larger scale. ie: Armies of power suits fighting other armies of power suits. (yawn) And audiences will eat it up and finance D-11.

[Cent]

Why not just make a Crysis movie then. *throws self off bridge*

[Ghost Train]

There will also be the inevitable MMORPG based on District 9 called "The District" where you select to be part of either the MNU, prawn, or "Nigerian Warlords" faction. In typical grind-fest fashion you will fight random mutated creatures in the occupation zone that will drop alien tech and the oh so precious mysterious fluid discussed in the movie.

1 year into the game's launch, all servers are consolidated due to poor subscription. 3 month later game is canceled.

[kaiotheforsaken]

And much like how District 9 ended up being little more than a platform to wow audiences by blowing people up in super cool ways with super cool alien weapons

I couldn't disagree more.

I really believe they wont do a sequel. It's a fantastic piece of film, that at the very least should make audiences think about other things beside the cool guns and mechs. I think it would lose a lot of its impact if they just went and did a sequel. I know Hollywood loves milking poo, but I think D9 is best served left alone now.

[promethuem5]

While certainly not the most original path, I would love to see District 9 go the Alien->Aliens sequel route where it completely changes up the formula and provides a completely different and equally awesome experience.

[Vic Mancini]

I couldn't disagree more.

I really believe they wont do a sequel. It's a fantastic piece of film, that at the very least should make audiences think about other things beside the cool guns and mechs. I think it would lose a lot of its impact if they just went and did a sequel. I know Hollywood loves milking poo, but I think D9 is best served left alone now.

The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions say "hi".

[-Snowblind-]

I couldn't disagree more.

I really believe they wont do a sequel. It's a fantastic piece of film, that at the very least should make audiences think about other things beside the cool guns and mechs. I think it would lose a lot of its impact if they just went and did a sequel. I know Hollywood loves milking poo, but I think D9 is best served left alone now.

Ehh, I don't know. They left every opportunity open for a sequel that they possibly could. They practically telegraphed it through the nature of the ending. Sony has already said the money is there for two sequels if Blomkamp and Jackson want to do it.

I also don't think that a sequel necessarily has to dilute the 'impact' of the original (it really depends on what you mean by impact - I don't think it was meant to be an art piece, I think it was meant to be a sci-fi action movie that showcased the writer/director's talents and raised some interesting moral and social questions in the process). A sequel, if well handled, could be just as good as the original.

That said, the current track record for movie trilogies is really horrible. Not because trilogies are necessarily a bad idea, but because films become too commercialized, and the movies can't stand on their own (well, typically the second and third movies - witness the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, and the last two Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The first movie is self contained, proves a success, gets funding for two more movies which are developed together... bleh).

[kaiotheforsaken]

The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions say "hi".

Except the Wachowski brothers had a vision that expanded beyond the single movie, so your point is sort of moot. Yes the success of the first ultimately lead to the second to being green lit, everything I've seen/read indicates they had some form plans to expand the universe from the get go. I don't really see that as being a motivating factor here.

Edit: the sequels to the matrix were quite good. yeah, i said it.

Edited August 19, 2009 by kaiotheforsaken

[Vic Mancini]

Edit: the sequels to the matrix were quite good. yeah, i said it.

Then I'm sure you'll love District 10 and 11.

And I'm sure Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp certainly discussed, maybe even planned, sequels if the movie was well received, just like the Wachowski bros.

[DarrinG]

I'm all for a sequel. And I hope they go the Cameron "Aliens" route and do it the right way; with further character development, a great story and intelligent intense action . . .

[Keith]

Except the Wachowski brothers had a vision that expanded beyond the single movie, so your point is sort of moot. Yes the success of the first ultimately lead to the second to being green lit, everything I've seen/read indicates they had some form plans to expand the universe from the get go. I don't really see that as being a motivating factor here.

Edit: the sequels to the matrix were quite good. yeah, i said it.

Yeah, the Wachowski's had Megazone 23 to follow should they decide to do sequals, and boy did they (note I am a fan of all 3 Matrix films, but really, it's all freakin' Megazone 23 to a "T").

Just got back from seeing District 9 a little w hile ago, and definately enjoyed it. Not sure if it requires sequals though.

[wolfx]

Viral stuff.

Christopher Johnson's blog

http://mnuspreadslies.com/

and an arc gun that sold for USD 1445

http://cgi.ebay.com/District-9-Arc-Gun-Mov...0802135002r6634

[DarrinG]

Cool - wicked Arc Gun!

I know debating is fun and the point of forum often times, but come on, anyone on MW who doesn't think this was an 8 out of 10 or above is plain crazy.

If you don't agree, please name off some better sci fi flicks in the last year or two . . .

[wolfx]

Cool - wicked Arc Gun!

I know debating is fun and the point of forum often times, but come on, anyone on MW who doesn't think this was an 8 out of 10 or above is plain crazy.

If you don't agree, please name off some better sci fi flicks in the last year or two . . .

Star Trek.

[sharky]

Of course there will be a sequel. And much like how District 9 ended up being little more than a platform to wow audiences by blowing people up in super cool ways with super cool alien weapons, District 10 will be a platform to wow audiences with more of the same but on a larger scale. ie: Armies of power suits fighting other armies of power suits. (yawn) And audiences will eat it up and finance D-11.

I beg to differ. I thought District 9 was full of political and social commentary with some action thrown in to keep the audience engaged. My conclusion is that it was a platform to bring more awareness to apartheid not a platform to wow with special effects. If the were simply trying to wow audiences they would have spent more money on the special effects. It was a relatively low budget movie at $30 million.

[DarrinG]

Star Trek.

Can you believe I have not seen that yet? Heard all great things though - will try to soon . . .

[Ghost Train]

Probably the wrong place to post this, but for this movie season, I'd definitely rate Star Trek and D9 as the 2 best, everything else has either failed to live up to my expectations or just failed horribly. T3 in the former category, bayformers in the latter.

[kaiotheforsaken]

I beg to differ. I thought District 9 was full of political and social commentary with some action thrown in to keep the audience engaged. My conclusion is that it was a platform to bring more awareness to apartheid not a platform to wow with special effects. If the were simply trying to wow audiences they would have spent more money on the special effects. It was a relatively low budget movie at $30 million.

This 100%

[EXO]

I disagree. District 9 is an action adventure that used South Africa and Apartheid as a background so it wouldn't be your standard special effects extravaganza. I think wowing the audience was high on the priority list and they proved they can do it for $30 million and don't need the ridiculous budgets that the mindless US studio produced summer blockbusters make every year. There's nothing wrong with making a good old fashioned Sci-Fi that treats their audience as intelligent moviegoers. You just need the $70 million advertising budget that movies like Funny People got for it to make some real money.

[Mr March]

If District 9 was really considered that shallow, Transformers 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and G.I. Joe would be the evaporated ocean floor while Dragonball would be a flood.

[-Snowblind-]

I disagree. District 9 is an action adventure that used South Africa and Apartheid as a background so it wouldn't be your standard special effects extravaganza. I think wowing the audience was high on the priority list and they proved they can do it for $30 million and don't need the ridiculous budgets that the mindless US studio produced summer blockbusters make every year. There's nothing wrong with making a good old fashioned Sci-Fi that treats their audience as intelligent moviegoers. You just need the $70 million advertising budget that movies like Funny People got for it to make some real money.

I wholeheartedly agree (with you, that is).

Purely speculation, but I think that we've gotten used to 'Hollywood' movies either force-feeding us a message or being dumbed down to appeal to the lowest common denominator that anything that makes some subtle social commentary looks incredibly intelligent by comparison. Like I said in an earlier post, I think this was a sci-fi action movie first and foremost, it just happened to provoke some thinking along the way. All in all a great approach.

Edited August 20, 2009 by -Snowblind-

[Ghost Train]

By no means do I have precise figures on hand, but like everything else I suspect the cost of special effects has probably gone down considerably since the turn of the century. The blue/green screen is used for all sorts of movies, not just scifi. Or at the least we can say it's more accessible, even for smaller scale projects. That being said, big virtual explosions no longer win over audiences, we're back to basics and things like character & plot, and the overall cohesion of the film is what is paramount now, and I think D9 weaved those 3 concepts well.

[Vic Mancini]

I beg to differ. I thought District 9 was full of political and social commentary with some action thrown in to keep the audience engaged. My conclusion is that it was a platform to bring more awareness to apartheid not a platform to wow with special effects.

That's what it started out as, but the last 2/3rds were pretty much constant shooting and violence. That was "shoot em up" formula.

This movie went south for me as soon as

the good guys went and got a bunch of huge guns and embarked on a suicide mission to get back the canister of fluid from the secret underground heavily fortified government testing facility. <(Cliche) That's very standard action/adventure fare and has nothing to do with apartheid or social awareness.

Can you imagine if in Children of Men, the terrorists succeed in capturing the last baby on earth and they bring it to their ultra secret terrorist compound? And then Clive Owen decides that the only thing to do is go get a bunch of guns and take part in a suicide mission to extract the baby from captivity in a huge bloody action-packed blaze of glory? How lame would that be?

[wraith1701]

That's what it started out as, but the last 2/3rds were pretty much constant shooting and violence. That was "shoot em up" formula.

This movie went south for me as soon as

the good guys went and got a bunch of huge guns and embarked on a suicide mission to get back the canister of fluid from the secret underground heavily fortified government testing facility. <(Cliche) That's very standard action/adventure fare and has nothing to do with apartheid or social awareness.

Can you imagine if in Children of Men, the terrorists succeed in capturing the last baby on earth and they bring it to their ultra secret terrorist compound? And then Clive Owen decides that the only thing to do is go get a bunch of guns and take part in a suicide mission to extract the baby from captivity in a huge bloody action-packed blaze of glory? How lame would that be?

A well stated point, but I strongly disagree. I saw the last 2/3 as a warning of the possible consequences of oppression.

Push a person (or group) hard enough, and they might decide that they have nothing to loose. Once that line is crossed, desperate, suicidal violence might be seen as the best option in a no-win situation.

Edited August 21, 2009 by wraith1701

[technoblue]

Agreed.

When the director is attempting to make a comparison to real-world conflicts and we have our own history to consider, whether that is the result of apartheid or some other enforced or perceived segregation, then

I think this movie certainly deserves its accolades. I would not think that I am fooling myself by thinking it is intelligent. I also think that some critics have become numb to the message, unable to see the story through those flashy special effects, which are Blomkamp's hallmark. They highlight some important points, in my mind, instead of distracting me.

And this movie works so well as science fiction, because I do not have to make a direct corollary to South African politics. Yeah, that is the premier context, but take any oppressed group or faction in the world today, replace the players

in the MNU and the alien slums respectively

and the story still works. I left the theater impressed. Start Trek sure was fun, but I could munch on popcorn and leave my brain at the door to enjoy the sights and sounds. I knew what to expect from the characters, even given the plot twists. With District 9, the story was paramount. The film kept my attention through the end credits.

[Vic Mancini]

With District 9, the story was paramount. The film kept my attention through the end credits.

Well it lost my attention at the part I mentioned above in black. Don't get me wrong, I love the premise of the movie. 10 out of 10 for that. I've been following the D-9 movie since the first news of it was leaked...I was excited and anticipating this movie for a long time as a fan of Blonkamp and Jackson. I've been watching the youtube demo movies and all that stuff for the last year. I don't go to movies like G.I. Joe and Transformers. I stay away from almost all summer blockbusters, but I was very excited for D-9 based on what I knew of the premise and the brilliant website and marketing campaign they created. It really looked like it was going to be an innovative movie.

I like how D-9 was

an alien invasion movie with a new twist....Aliens playing the role of the persecuted and humans playing the role of the persecutors, and the moral of the story and the implication of severe consequences and all that.

But the actual story and sequence of events in the movie left a lot to be desired and didn't do justice to the premise at all IMO. It was a totally average action movie where they seemingly thew in random weapons and mecha suits for wow-factor.

- The main character keeps narrowly escaping out of life threatening situations time and time again...which gives him a sense of invincibility in the story and negates the sense of danger there should be. (Why the hell didn't they sedate the main character when they were going to cut him open? Stupid-ass doctors. Such a manufactured way for the character to escape.)

- The military characters are stereotypically evil and trigger happy. 1-dimensional and boring.

- The scientists at MNU are stereotypically uncaring and completely lack any sympathy. 1-dimensional and boring.

- The mecha armor was more arbitrary than an "accelerator suit" and didn't serve a purpose story-wise what so ever.

- The plot from 1/3 and on was standard "action movie formula".

I could go on and on. I was expecting so much more than a standard action movie with a great premise. Just too much of a typical popcorn blockbuster feel for my personal tastes and I left the theater very disappointed. Anyway, I've rambled enough.

[wolfx]

District 9's "premise" is over-lauded IMHO. Well at least they didn't make a movie out of this....cuz it would be awesome.

Edited August 23, 2009 by wolfx

[Ghost Train]

Worthy of a Nobel Prize in literature...

[sharky]

I'm all for a sequel. And I hope they go the Cameron "Aliens" route and do it the right way; with further character development, a great story and intelligent intense action . . .

Oh, heck yeah! One thing I noted when watching D9 was the fact that even though the alien offensive weapons are more advanced their defensive weapons did not seem to be insurmountable by earth's current tech. At least they did not show anything that would indicate energy shielding of some kind. An all out war between prawns and humans would totally rock and it wouldn't necessarily be a one sided fight.

[anime52k8]

>snip<

wow, are you really that Jaded? No offense but there must be no joy or happiness left in your life.

I could try to go and make a long winded post about why District 9 is so good, but really, I'm not in the mood to and doing so would kill all the joy that the movie brings me. So I'll say this, I loved D9 for the same reason I loved aliens; Because both are first and foremost action movies, but they're action movies that don't treat the audience like morons. While the pots not super deep but it's a solid, enjoyable story with compelling characters and plenty of on screen excitement.

It may not be the most thought provoking film ever, but it was fun while still being intelligent and I'd actually enjoy watching it again, and that's what makes a movie good.

[kaiotheforsaken]

I don't know if it's been talked about much in this thread, but several reviews as well as an interview on like....access hollywood or entertainment tonight stated that basically everything Wikus spoke dialogue wise was ad lib. They gave him essentially a general rundown of the scene, the characters beliefs/motivations at the time and kinda let the guy run with it.

[Mog]

Regarding anime52k8's post: Although I don't agree with Vic's points, I gotta say he has stated his case and his reasons for disliking the film clearly and quite logically.

One of the things I was personally worried about before watching District 9 was whether the story would live up to the buzz and hype we were generating. So, I personally went in hoping for something thought-provoking but nothing genre-breaking ala Dark Knight or the first Matrix movie.

I could see if people's expectations were set really, really high why they'd be disappointed with the film.

Personally, I liked the movie and consider it thought-provoking enough. But I can understand some of the criticisms being made.

Again, Vic's done a bang-up job of stating his case.

You and I may not agree with his position, but you gotta respect that he argues his point well.

[Vic Mancini]

No offense but there must be no joy or happiness left in your life.

Really? Because I didn't like D-9 and I took some time to explain why on a discussion board? That's one of the strangest things anyone has ever said to me in the history of my internetting.

Regarding anime52k8's post: Although I don't agree with Vic's points, I gotta say he has stated his case and his reasons for disliking the film clearly and quite logically.

Thanks Mog I appreciate that.

[technoblue]

I respect Vic's reasons for ranking the movie as a generic action film—don't get me wrong. On this point, I'm just agreeing to disagree.

For example,

• To me, the question of life or death was not Wikus' concern throughout the movie. Rather, we are told early on in the first documentary portion what he values: stability in his day-to-day work and the love of his wife. These are threatened when he begins his metamorphosis and becomes the first hybrid able to use alien technology. The promise he receives from Christopher to return to being completely human is what compels him to help the aliens in the second half of the movie. Of course, the question I asked myself was, "Are the aliens using him or is he using them?" This movie leaves morality alone for the audience to consider. That is one reason why I think it is intelligent.

• The movie only develops one military character, who happens to be a ranking officer. Again, early in the film we are shown that he and Wikus do not have the best relationship as they have an argument over how much ammunition the guard should carry into the field. I agree, I felt we could have been given more insight into his personality and the reasons behind his hatred (I enjoy killing prawns was weak), but I was also willing to forgive the lackluster character portrait since he was an obvious foil for Wikus in the later acts of the film. I also think that stereotypes are useful if you are making a caricature.

• I have not seen GI Joe, so I cannot compare the fictional technology in this movie to that one. Coming from my perspective, I thought the armor did have a purpose. It is a MacGuffin. The mecha first shows up early in the film while the aliens are trading weapons for food and shows up again later as Wikus, Christopher, and his son are trying to escape. Christopher and his son would have never reached the mothership if Wikus hadn't been able to use alien technology to defend the shuttle that he wrecked. The man was a veritable walking tank at that point. And where it was gruesome with everyone getting shot to pieces, Wikus did catch that rocket—something he would have been incapable of doing bare-handed. Could Blomkamp have used another device to forward the plot? Certainly, but he decided to show us the mechanized armor and it became part of that final act.

Any story can be deconstructed and summarized into a few short sentences or bullet points (thinking of the humorous Doom post above). Clearly, if that wasn't true, then we wouldn't have Cliffs Notes, but those that rely on them are missing so much finer detail.

[mantisfists]

Ok, how do I get those damned black lines covering the text to go away?