District 9

[bsmooth]

I loved the weapon systems the aliens had. You have to love a movie that launches a pig out of the cannon on a alien battle suit.

[Brian Fein]

what?

Its amazing to me that people can watch the EXACT same film and get completely different reactions and opinions.  wow!

[Thundergod]

Good movie. But it was only a one-timer for me. Nothing special.

[Cathal]

Excellent movie. I watched it multiple times and got the DVD. Unless you just dislike sci-fi movies, it's crazy how you can't like this.

[bsfins]

For all the hype it got, I was expecting so much more.

But it was only a one-timer for me. Nothing special.

I think those two statements wrap up how I feel about District 9....I sort of got the same thing with Avatar, For as much hub-bub,hoorah,you've got to see it...It left me a little .....Really? That's it?

[Buddhagirl]

I really like District 9. It made me cry, too which doesn't happen because I'm a cold-hearted bitch.

[CF DolFan]

I thought they could have made it more serious. It seeemd to kind of make fun of itself. Maybe it was just the bad acting. I don't know. I found it entertaining but it left me wanting.

[Dave Gray]

^ Bad acting? 

I'm so surprised to hear you say that.  I think that the lead actor carried the film.  That guy was awesome.  I also thought that while there were some humorous moments early, that the film was very serious in tone.

This was an alien movie that was nominated for best picture.  That's a pretty big deal.

[Pappy13]

There was no message? The message was so in your face that South African complained they were being targeted. If you could not get the message out of that movie( here is a hint it has to do with putting someone who you do not understand and different into "special camps") then I cannot image how to explain it to you.

So what was the last hour and a half of the movie about?  That was all explained in the first 30 minutes of the movie and not very well I might add.  If he wanted to do a 30 minute documentary on South Africa, that's what he should have done.  No surprise the South Africans were upset about it.  I would be too.  Guess I should have done a little more research on what the movie was about before watching.  Had I, I doubt I would have watched it at all.

[Pappy13]

I loved this movie.  It was one of my best films of the year.  I think it will stand as a classic.

Maybe I just don't see enough movies.  I usually only watch a couple a year and only the ones that I expect are the best.  Maybe if I watched a few more I would see some really horrendous movies and appreciate movies like District 9 a little more.  I expected a lot more than a bad sci-fi mockumentary.

[Dave Gray]

The movie definitely had a message.  It was pretty in your face about it.  District 6 was a real life camp, where thousands of people were forced from their homes to live in slums.  This was a parallel to that story, and how one man made an unlikely friendship.

[Pappy13]

The movie definitely had a message.  It was pretty in your face about it.  District 6 was a real life camp, where thousands of people were forced from their homes to live in slums.  This was a parallel to that story, and how one man made an unlikely friendship.

Ok, so what was the message?  That apartheid was a bad idea?  Really.  I didn't know that. 

You don't get it.  That's what was so disappointing, is that the movie had a really great premise.  Show just how cruel people can be.  But instead they decided to make it into a b-grade sci-fi and going for laughs.  Yeah, apartheid was really funny.  I'm sorry, but I didn't find it humorous nor did I find any *message*, I found it insulting.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[Dave Gray]

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Yeah, you could be.


IMDB's Top 200: #126
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Academy Awards: Best Picture Nomination

Of course, these aren't the end-all-be-all, but it shows that the trifecta: public, critics, and Hollywood all loved this movie.  So, while you're entitled to your opinion, you're certainly in the vast minority in this particular case.


As for the message being "apartheid is bad", I'd say that it's quite more than that, reflecting a theme that we're destined to continue to make the same mistakes and mistreat others, unless we learn from those in the past.  ...as well as the simple message of trying to walk a mile in someone else's shoes before judging them.

Also, the film has great technical merit, as the style had not yet been seen and they came out with a great film on a relatively small budget.  They used creativity (the mockumentary format) to tell a story in lieu of big budget effects and it was better off for it.

I'm hard pressed to come up with very many better sci-fi films, ever.

[Phishfan]

The beautiful thing about opinions, there is no right or wrong for them. They just are what they are.

I didn't really care for this movie. It definitely did not rate the hype I thought.

[Pappy13]

As for the message being "apartheid is bad", I'd say that it's quite more than that, reflecting a theme that we're destined to continue to make the same mistakes and mistreat others, unless we learn from those in the past.  ...as well as the simple message of trying to walk a mile in someone else's shoes before judging them.

And this is a different message than one that has been done already?  I don't give you points for stating the same message that has already been stated a dozen times.  If you want me to walk away from the movie with a message, you must come up with something at least slightly original.  Another way of looking at it.  Something that hasn't already been done or at least done in another way.  Yes, the first 30 minutes of the movie attempts to do this, but then it devolves into typical sci-fi gobblety gook and any possible message is lost along the way.  What a waste.

I'm hard pressed to come up with very many better sci-fi films, ever.

Avatar blows this movie away in every way.  Better "sci-fi".  Better story.  Better characters.  Better acting.  Better message...and it didn't have to reference Apartheid for the message to be understood.  It's good vs evil.  Traditional values vs war mongering.  Religion vs Science, etc.