I really could have done without the gratuitous shots of the Secretary-General of the UN tossing that goat's salad, though. Did we really need to see that?
My friend absolutely hates this movie because of the "scientific stupidities" that the movie portrays. He says it's not for Sci-Fi fans, because of these questions:
(Spoiler?)How could a mothership float without any fuel? How could fuel cause a human to transform into an alien? Why were the aliens in Earth in the first place? If the Aliens had such great technology, why were they so stupid?(/spoiler)
People are often incredibly inconsistent in how they will suspend their disbelief. Comic fans are some of the worst. They'll believe that a guy can be bitten by a radioactive spider, and get spider-powers instead of cancer. However, those same people won't believe that Mephisto can use magic to change history. They're both equally ludicrous ideas. Why believe one and not the other?
The only time I have a problem with things like this is when a story is not internally consistent. Real-world science has nothing to do with anything in a fictional story. The only problem is when a fictional story contradicts itself. Galaxy Express 999 is notorious for this. In one episode they will need the train to leave the station early to avoid danger, but Galaxy Railways policy means they have to leave on time. In another episode the train leaves early without them because it's too dangerous. They just change the rules whenever they want to do whatever makes the situation more difficult.
District 9 clearly had almost no consideration for any real science. However, it was internally consistent. There was nothing I noticed in the movie that contradicted anything else that was also in the movie.
Well, and if you're watching carefully, or for a second time, there is a silly amount of allusion to events later in the film. Things pop up (or aren't there) during the documentary portions that you'll catch on to if you're smart about it. Also, side note, Wekis (sic) grows his thumb back... That's a small thing that it NEVER emphasizes, but shows off a bit about the aliens without ever saying that they're regenerative. Unless that's a continuity thing, hehe.
Scott's right -- the fiction is consistent with itself. People just don't like the 'Fi' aspect of Sci-Fi. The friend in question hated the fuel thing, but had no issues that the ship didn't come crashing down into JHB after 20 years? Frankly, I didn't care about any of it. Maybe there's a reserve fuel for taking off. Maybe the fuel Christopher collected was exclusively for space travel. There's no explicit explanation for MANY things, and that's part of what makes it such a great flick.
You have to assume it was fuel for everything. If the mothership had fuel on it, they could have stolen a helicopter and gone up to the mothership to get fuel. It would have taken a lot less than 20 years if that was an option on the table.
The fuel was for the mothership as well, because you have to remember that instead of fixing Wikus he says he needs it all to go as fast as he can to his home planet so he can get a rescue ship. Otherwise he was going to fix Wikus then I guess leisurely use the fuel to get back home.
Was it the ending with the metallic flowers? That made me tear up a bit.
No... I was sobbing and shaking through most of the movie. Every single event, every layer of hatred, anger, bigotry, callousness, selfishness, etc. has happened an continues to happen within the human race. Replace the CG Aliens with people. This is what we do to each other. In all seriousness, this film was like watching Schindler's List.
Was it the ending with the metallic flowers? That made me tear up a bit.
No... I was sobbing and shaking through most of the movie. Every single event, every layer of hatred, anger, bigotry, callousness, selfishness, etc. has happened an continues to happen within the human race. Replace the CG Aliens with people. This is what we do to each other. In all seriousness, this film was like watching Schindler's List.
Yes, that was very much the point. There were multiple scenes, especially in the first part of the movie, that outright horrified me.
@ Pete: Exactly. There were several points in the film that I almost had to leave. Not that I thought the movie was terrible, I wasn't sure how much more I could endure before I vomited or started sobbing so loudly that I would be thrown out.
@ Pete: Exactly. There were several points in the film that I almost had to leave. Not that I thought the movie was terrible, I wasn't sure how much more I could endure before I vomited or started sobbing so loudly that I would be thrown out.
So what did you actually think of the film, aside from the horror it inflicted? Personally, I think it did a terrific job of conveying its point, using very powerful imagery to generate sympathy. The comeuppance was delicious.
EDIT: Part of what really got to me is that the aliens were so well done. They were incredibly lifelike, so I could really buy what was going on. It made the connection that much more intense.
The movie was brilliantly done. There was no aspect of the film that I "enjoyed" and the comeuppance was minimal at best, but that was not the point. A part of me wanted to actually see the aliens freed, but I knew that that would let the audience off the hook and not underscore the fact that we continually perpetuate these atrocities and likely will continue until the human race dies off. I am not sure I could stand to watch it again, but I think I will make myself. It rekindled and brought to the forefront many theories, goals, and issues that I have wrestled with on and off throughout my teenage and adult life.
The movie was brilliantly done. There was no aspect of the film that I "enjoyed" and the comeuppance was minimal at best, but that was not the point. A part of me wanted to actually see the aliens freed, but I knew that that would let the audience off the hook and not underscore the fact that we continually perpetuate these atrocities and likely will continue until the human race dies off. I am not sure I could stand to watch it again, but I think I will make myself. It rekindled and brought to the forefront many theories, goals, and issues that I have wrestled with on and off throughout my teenage and adult life.
Well, apparently, "the allegory falls completely flat on its face because the aliens are obviously super-intelligent and that they could easily make humanity their bitch with their just-them super weapons."
The way the movie is done, the questions regarding fuel, UN policy, and weaponry are really beside the point. Quibble over them all you want, but that isn't what the film is about.
Wilkus was way too enthusiastic about what he was doing to the aliens at the beginning.
You apparently have not watched any videos or pictures of people behaving during WWII. If you can dehumanize a group of people you can start treating them horrible and be extremely cool about doing that horrible stuff to them, this would happen even faster with some alien race that didn't look like fluffy bunnies.
Wilkus was way too enthusiastic about what he was doing to the aliens at the beginning.
You apparently have not watched any videos or pictures of people behaving during WWII. If you can dehumanize a group of people you can start treating them horrible and be extremely cool about doing that horrible stuff to them, this would happen even faster with some alien race that didn't look like fluffy bunnies.
I'm not saying the film did something wrong there, it's that, to borrow Kate's words, the movie broke me.
While my first response to the title of the article was an overwhelming "Are you kidding me?", I reigned myself in and read the article with as little bias as I could reasonably manage. The author's first allegation of racism is that the "disgusting" aliens themselves are being equated to South Africans, which s/he then immediately sets aside as it was fairly obvious that the film wasn't a straight up-and-down apartheid allegory. Personally, I don't see how the aliens are any more or less violent or disgusting than the humans (that failed to introduce them into society with any sort of education, communication, shared understanding or compassion), but I digress. The author's second allegation of racism is directed at the Nigerian gang's connection with a witch doctor and their "black" prostitutes. I have to completely disagree that this was a racist portrayal. Gangs engage in horrible behavior (regardless of race) and often run prostitution rings. I genuinely don't see how the association of a drug crazed gangster with an opportunistic religious nut is racist at all, particularly in the context of the movie.
While my first response to the title of the article was an overwhelming "Are you kidding me?", I reigned myself in and read the article with as little bias as I could reasonably manage. The author's first allegation of racism is that the "disgusting" aliens themselves are being equated to South Africans, which s/he then immediately sets aside as it was fairly obvious that the film wasn't a straight up-and-down apartheid allegory. Personally, I don't see how the aliens are any more or less violent or disgusting than the humans (that failed to introduce them into society with any sort of education, communication, shared understanding or compassion), but I digress. The author's second allegation of racism is directed at the Nigerian gang's connection with a witch doctor and their "black" prostitutes. I have to completely disagree that this was a racist portrayal. Gangs engage in horrible behavior (regardless of race) and often run prostitution rings. I genuinely don't see how the association of a drug crazed gangster with an opportunistic religious nut is racist at all, particularly in the context of the movie.
In fact, part of what disturbed me most about the film is that I wanted to call everything an exaggeration, but it really wasn't. There are most certainly gangs like that in Africa whose actions are steeped in mysticism. One crazy gang leader listening to a witch doctor? It's not racist when it's a largely true-to-life depiction.
Also, the aliens were disgusting because we penned them in and gave them nothing. That's what happens when you keep people poor.
Comments
(Spoiler?)How could a mothership float without any fuel? How could fuel cause a human to transform into an alien? Why were the aliens in Earth in the first place? If the Aliens had such great technology, why were they so stupid?(/spoiler)
I think he missed the point.
People are often incredibly inconsistent in how they will suspend their disbelief. Comic fans are some of the worst. They'll believe that a guy can be bitten by a radioactive spider, and get spider-powers instead of cancer. However, those same people won't believe that Mephisto can use magic to change history. They're both equally ludicrous ideas. Why believe one and not the other?
The only time I have a problem with things like this is when a story is not internally consistent. Real-world science has nothing to do with anything in a fictional story. The only problem is when a fictional story contradicts itself. Galaxy Express 999 is notorious for this. In one episode they will need the train to leave the station early to avoid danger, but Galaxy Railways policy means they have to leave on time. In another episode the train leaves early without them because it's too dangerous. They just change the rules whenever they want to do whatever makes the situation more difficult.
District 9 clearly had almost no consideration for any real science. However, it was internally consistent. There was nothing I noticed in the movie that contradicted anything else that was also in the movie.
Scott's right -- the fiction is consistent with itself. People just don't like the 'Fi' aspect of Sci-Fi. The friend in question hated the fuel thing, but had no issues that the ship didn't come crashing down into JHB after 20 years? Frankly, I didn't care about any of it. Maybe there's a reserve fuel for taking off. Maybe the fuel Christopher collected was exclusively for space travel. There's no explicit explanation for MANY things, and that's part of what makes it such a great flick.
Popcorn. The sounded like popcorn.
EDIT: Part of what really got to me is that the aliens were so well done. They were incredibly lifelike, so I could really buy what was going on. It made the connection that much more intense.
Just in case you didn't know, all the short films by this director are somewhere on youtube and all of them are pretty awesome.
The author's first allegation of racism is that the "disgusting" aliens themselves are being equated to South Africans, which s/he then immediately sets aside as it was fairly obvious that the film wasn't a straight up-and-down apartheid allegory. Personally, I don't see how the aliens are any more or less violent or disgusting than the humans (that failed to introduce them into society with any sort of education, communication, shared understanding or compassion), but I digress.
The author's second allegation of racism is directed at the Nigerian gang's connection with a witch doctor and their "black" prostitutes. I have to completely disagree that this was a racist portrayal. Gangs engage in horrible behavior (regardless of race) and often run prostitution rings. I genuinely don't see how the association of a drug crazed gangster with an opportunistic religious nut is racist at all, particularly in the context of the movie.
Also, the aliens were disgusting because we penned them in and gave them nothing. That's what happens when you keep people poor.