Official District 9 Movie Post

[ptrakarn23]

smoked a l, watched the movie.

it sucked

but it was free so....

 

[Renaldo Balkman]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

Originally Posted by ericescobar


The movie is obviously neither about aliens nor alien-arm fetishes. There is an underlying theme, which you've already pointed out. My beef with the movie (and with critics) is that they tend to be hyperbolic with their critiques, at times, and it's really annoying (to me).

Look, I came in to the theater with an open mind. I paid for the movie and I was going to give it every chance to convince me of it's premise. In the end, I was struggling with myself to find that even ground. I couldn't do it. I couldn't numb my mind long enough for the premise to seem even slightly approachable.

I can easily appreciate what the movie WANTS to say, but what comes out of the screen is kind of unnecessary. How many people are going to the theater thinking "gee, I've always wanted to see a sci-fi analogy of the apartheid!".

actually..

Crave Online: What are you saying with the racial subtext in the film?



Neill Blomkamp: Well, first of all, when I started making the film, when we started conceiving the very idea of how District 9 would grow out of Joburg, I think for the first few months I was thinking of a film that probably was too serious and took itself too seriously. It had some of my thinking with those topics. There was too much of me in it. I pretty quickly started realizing that the smartest thing to do, especially with my first film and the fact that I have to grow a lot as a filmmaker before I do anything serious is just make something that's accessible and more of a ride, that's more fun. I actually wrote "satire" on like four pieces of paper and stuck them up on my wall to remind me that satire is the way to go with this film. When that happened, everything about it just kind of loosened up and became more enjoyable because from a satirical standpoint, it becomes sort of a not as serious, more creative environment to be in, especially as a first time director. So having said that, I grew up in South Africa during Apartheid and I very actively wanted to make a film that had science fiction placed in that African setting, specifically that South African setting. There's no question that there's many, many, many elements of Apartheid and segregation and now xenophobia in South Africa that have made their way into the film but they provide the sort of foundation that the film rests on top of. It's like a framework that's there and it provides a very strange alternate reality because there's aliens involved, but it doesn't beat you over the head. So if you see the film, it's like I'm not trying to force those kind of soapbox beliefs of mine onto you. I'm simply saying this is all stuff that affected me when I was a kid and I put science fiction into it. Now you can take from it what you want within a sort of satirical, dark humor kind of backdrop.

ps. so far.. I think it's one of the better (if not the best) movie I've seen this year



I came to this thread after watching the film to look for insightful intelligent conversations about the film like this!
However, after reading all the posts follwing this one, I realize that it might be somewhat impossible to discuss all of the possible metaphoricalundertones used to describe human nature in this film

 

[Renaldo Balkman]

Originally Posted by dollabill87

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Originally Posted by sn00pee

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

I have a question, but I'll throw it in the spoiler...

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler [+]

Spoiler

so I've been reading various sites on the movie, and there are some rumblings that Christopher at one time MAY have been a human. Someone noticed that his eye sockets of all things seem very "human-like." Going off of the Christopher/human theory, he was bleeding when he was getting beaten by the soldier towards the end of the movie. I can't remember off hand, but did any of the other aliens bleed when injured?

main character was bleeding when he cut his tentacle. Also, why would he refer to them as his people then, and the fact that he had a son... or could operate the alien ships and things. too many things make that theory impossible.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler [+]

Spoiler

Main character was also a human. I don't think the theory is too far-fetched....Remember, Wikus was able to operate all the weaponry with NO problems (remember when he had the suit on) within 72 hours after being exposed to that goo in the vial. Christopher Johnson had been held captive for 20+ years in South Africa...I think it's plausible that at one point in his life (not just in District 9) he may have been human....not to mention the movie never stated if the Aliens had been to Earth at another time before being stranded in SA.

I did notice the difference between christopher and the other aliens but I assumed that it was a sutble difference in order for the viewer
to feel more connection or empathy with the character. Or perhaps characteristics of the more "intelligent" of their species.
Overall I was very impressed with the film, can see it becoming a cult classic !

In the last scene Wikus (in alien form) still had his sleeve semi torn on his right arm... Christopher throughout the film had a red jacket semi torn on him...Perhaps a tell sign that they were once human? Or an easy way to let the audience tell them apart from the others? hmmmmm

 

[nicedudewithnicedreams]

enjoyed the movie.

 

[xxxoverridexxx]

Originally Posted by rayray3thousand

Originally Posted by dollabill87

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Originally Posted by sn00pee

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

I have a question, but I'll throw it in the spoiler...

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler [+]

Spoiler

so I've been reading various sites on the movie, and there are some rumblings that Christopher at one time MAY have been a human. Someone noticed that his eye sockets of all things seem very "human-like." Going off of the Christopher/human theory, he was bleeding when he was getting beaten by the soldier towards the end of the movie. I can't remember off hand, but did any of the other aliens bleed when injured?

main character was bleeding when he cut his tentacle. Also, why would he refer to them as his people then, and the fact that he had a son... or could operate the alien ships and things. too many things make that theory impossible.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler [+]

Spoiler

Main character was also a human. I don't think the theory is too far-fetched....Remember, Wikus was able to operate all the weaponry with NO problems (remember when he had the suit on) within 72 hours after being exposed to that goo in the vial. Christopher Johnson had been held captive for 20+ years in South Africa...I think it's plausible that at one point in his life (not just in District 9) he may have been human....not to mention the movie never stated if the Aliens had been to Earth at another time before being stranded in SA.

I did notice the difference between christopher and the other aliens but I assumed that it was a sutble difference in order for the viewer
to feel more connection or empathy with the character. Or perhaps characteristics of the more "intelligent" of their species.
Overall I was very impressed with the film, can see it becoming a cult classic !

In the last scene Wikus (in alien form) still had his sleeve semi torn on his right arm... Christopher throughout the film had a red jacket semi torn on him... Perhaps a tell sign that they were once human? Or an easy way to let the audience tell them apart from the others? hmmmmm

Christopher was always an alien. No doubt about that.

3 years....

 

[dirtylicious]

I think it's silly to think that Christopher was a human 1st.

think about it... Christopher said to Wikus that he could fix him with machines on the mother ship.
why wouldn't he have fixed himself?
and how would Christopher know how to operate the command module with ease (notice that Wikus didn't know at all)

...too many holes to think that Chris was a human 1st.

 

[nawlinsjunkie]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

I think it's silly to think that Christopher was a human 1st.

think about it... Christopher said to Wikus that he could fix him with machines on the mother ship.
why wouldn't he have fixed himself?
and how would Christopher know how to operate the command module with ease (notice that Wikus didn't know at all)

...too many holes to think that Chris was a human 1st.

yea, and on top of that the scene where he and his son were talking about their planet, how many moons it has, going back home, etc.

 

[NewZ05]

Originally Posted by r0yalty

Chris with the Thriller jacket

def noticed that too

 

[duba169]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

I think it's silly to think that Christopher was a human 1st.

think about it... Christopher said to Wikus that he could fix him with machines on the mother ship.
why wouldn't he have fixed himself?
and how would Christopher know how to operate the command module with ease (notice that Wikus didn't know at all)

...too many holes to think that Chris was a human 1st.

what if chris was taken in the past? Who knows if this was definitely the prawns first visit to earth. Maybe they scoped earth out years ago andtook some humans for experimentation. maybe chris didn't want to go back to being human for some reason

 

[Renaldo Balkman]

what about the scene where Chris' son looks at Wikus' arm and says "We are the same?".... Or the fact that Chris knew it would take 3 yearsfor him to reverse the process? Or the fact that when Wikus first transformed Christopher said "there is only one way that this could have happened",he seemed to know A LOT about the transformation process....

 

[cucumbercool]

The movie was awesome, point blank.

 

[dirtylicious]

the fact that Chris feels so much pull for "his people" alone (as evidence by his reaction to the dead prawns in the lab) is enough for me to notthink he was initially a human.

He has to "save his people", he said.


and it's not 3 yrs for him to reverse it.. it's 3 yrs for Chris to go home and come back..
the other stuff.. you're reading too much into into it.

 

[silentxnight]

^^ yea..i think the people that think chris was once a human just WANTS it to be that way in the sequel/prequel. The parts where chris feels so strongly aboutleaving the prawns and saving his people alone are enough to justify him NOT being human. I mean, i thought it was an interesting theory when it was firstpresented, but now it just doesnt seem plausible. :/

 

[northdade]

watched this my 1st time shroomin at the regal on south beach
awesome experience especially wit the subliminal undertones throughout the film and wut not

 

[atlsfinest]

saw it with my gf on Sunday. One of the top 5 movies of the year so far in my opinion. They have the aliens a very humanistic feel and the SFX were crazy. Itonly had a $35 million budget.

 

[gescobe]

saw this and inglorious basterds tonight, both were great movies.

 

[airmaxes]

Heard this dude talking up a storm about this movie to some African dude today

 

[buc em]

MY MAN CHRISTOPHER! if wikus didn't come back for him when they were beating him down i would have walked out the movie i swear to god

 

[nothin4ever]

I CAME

I SEEN

I LOVED IT


...THATS ALL

 

[kix4kix]

Best movie I have seen this year, keep up the dialogue.

 

[imixedi]

Great movie, should go down as a sci-fi classic.

 

[cherryred]

in the beginning i wanted to walk out, but then it started to get good.

that guys voice that was turning into an alien was annoying.

 

[lovemysole]

Dirtylicious wrote:

---

the fact that Chris feels so much pull for "his people" alone (as evidence by his reaction to the dead prawns in the lab) is enough for me to not think he was initially a human.

He has to "save his people", he said.


and it's not 3 yrs for him to reverse it.. it's 3 yrs for Chris to go home and come back..
the other stuff.. you're reading too much into into it.
I have to agree with Dirty on this one. Even if you were to become a Prawn later on he wouldn't have had that reaction. Also don't youremember when they got that final drop in the silver container? The other guy was saying to Chris that they both have been waiting 20 years for that day tocome.

 

[mecks]

Great movie, me and my girl saw it together...
I'd give this an 8/10 just the way the whole thing was done felt very original like, you hadn't ever seen anything like it before. i also liked howthey threw in the AIDS/HIV reference, and the part where the little alien is like "were the same" ... great story, i might just go see it again.

 

[chokeonsmoke]

gunna go watch it again this time with my bro movie is dope