How it pains me to not be writing a "Taking It Home" review of Neill Blomkamp's District 9, a movie that I fell in love with at first description earlier this year, but became less and less and less excited for as the date neared and I realized that what I thought was going to be about a tale of South Africa was really a bam-pow sci-fi flick about aliens (in South Africa, yes, but about aliens nonetheless).As clever and "cool" as it was, at the end of the day this movie offered much less meaning and insight than what I originally hoped for, or even what I expected from the brilliant first 15 minutes (or, had I seen it beforehand, what I would have expected from the film's inspiration, Blomkamp's Alive in Joburg).
But still, on a purely cinematic level I'm still tempted to call District 9 one of the most entertaining movies of this so-far lackluster year, and one that I'd much rather watch again over Star Trek (what happened to all of the "Best of 2009" cries for that, by the way?). Yes, District 9 is a well-acted, mostly fast-paced story framed in a unique setting, and the visual effects and use of CGI are the best I've seen since The Golden Compass a couple years ago. Whether that last point means awards are in order, we'll just have to see - but if so they'll be the only awards the movie deserves...
Grabbing you right from the get-go with the currently trendy and rather unnecessary fake documentary/verite style, District 9 introduces us to an alternative Johannesburg in 2010, decades after a mysterious UFO stopped in mid-air over the city. In it were countless weak, starving aliens (heretofore known as "prawns", the derogatory term applied to them), who were initially treated with compassionate care but soon wore out their welcome when it became obvious that they were stranded for good. Like proverbial in-laws.
The prawns were thus forced to live in District 9, a set-aside area of the city cut off from social services and human society. As with the black population only forty years ago, they were treated with hostility and hatred by pubic officials like Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), a bureaucrat's bureaucrat heading up a Multi-National United (MNU) prawn relocation unit. He mugs for the camera and shows us District 9 like an excited child would show us his treehouse; his idea of an adrenaline rush is torching a shed full of prawn eggs.
As Wikus leads an effort to relocate the prawns to District 10 (a newly constructed refugee camp far from the city, and the likely location of the guaranteed sequel), an accident causes a DNA transfer in him that will in the course of about a week turn him into a prawn - if he survives at all. The remainder of the movie, then, is the story of Wikus vs. the prawns vs. a nasty bald-headed villain (nasty because he's bald-headed) vs. cannibalistic Nigerian gangsters lording over District 9 vs. the MNU front office vs. the world.
In short, it ends as a brilliantly rendered, eye-poppingly well-designed, visually intense action-packed extravaganza that has maybe something to do with humanity's relation to aliens, but almost nothing to do with apartheid, South Africa, the United Nations ("MNU"), or, let's be honest, reality. This whole thing is a set-up, and I'm not falling for it.
How exactly would a bulletproof vest protect against alien weaponry?
I shouldn't be discussing this movie without at some point explaining my fascination for the country in which it's set. As I may or may not have shared before, The Power of One is unconditionally and unquestionably my favorite movie of all time. It's the movie that, when I saw it for the first time as a boy, forever changed my view of the world, myself, and movies (which I would not really devote myself to for another decade). Not surprisingly, since then I've been automatically captivated by anything dealing with the extraordinarily rich history and culture of South Africa (fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I still have the heavy-handedness of Clint Eastwood's Invictus to provide my South Africa fix in 2009).
Understanding this will shed some light on why I was disappointed by how quickly District 9 abandoned its fantastically juicy set-up and devolved into an alien action thriller (with an ending and villain identical to Daniel Craig in The Power of One, no less!), leaving all kinds of political and racial themes on the table for another, likely worse movie to examine. As Blomkamp, a white South African who grew up in Johannesburg, admits, "No allegories, no metaphors, nothing. Just science fiction in Joburg...There's no message, per se, that I'm trying to get across with the movie. It's rather that I want to present science fiction, and put it in the environment that affected me."
Ahhh, fair enough, I guess, but it still stings to hear him add in another interview that he backed off on exploring the social issues because it "wouldn't be entertaining on a popcorn level." Come on, man, don't leave me hanging with a tease like that. Just because Peter Jackson got excited about Alive in Joburg and wanted to show off his CGI prowess, it didn't mean you had to abandon all of the meaning. Well, maybe it did since he was footing the bill, but still, the lack of thematic depth in District 9 and the cliche-ridden finale that left us puffed up for a sequel was not what I was expecting following the terrific first 15 minutes.
Why not talk straight about the fact that a white South African anti-hero doesn't learn his lesson about prejudice? Why not talk straight about the fact that the South African blacks are mistreating the prawns in the same way that they themselves were treated for generations? Why not explore the existence of the MNU as the operating arm of a massive, global military-industrial complex? Why not have one of the prawns rise as a Nelson Mandela or Steve Biko-type hero? Wouldn't be "popcorn"-friendly, I suppose, so best to leave all that background stuff securely in the background.
Understanding this will shed some light on why I was disappointed by how quickly District 9 abandoned its fantastically juicy set-up and devolved into an alien action thriller (with an ending and villain identical to Daniel Craig in The Power of One, no less!), leaving all kinds of political and racial themes on the table for another, likely worse movie to examine. As Blomkamp, a white South African who grew up in Johannesburg, admits, "No allegories, no metaphors, nothing. Just science fiction in Joburg...There's no message, per se, that I'm trying to get across with the movie. It's rather that I want to present science fiction, and put it in the environment that affected me."
Ahhh, fair enough, I guess, but it still stings to hear him add in another interview that he backed off on exploring the social issues because it "wouldn't be entertaining on a popcorn level." Come on, man, don't leave me hanging with a tease like that. Just because Peter Jackson got excited about Alive in Joburg and wanted to show off his CGI prowess, it didn't mean you had to abandon all of the meaning. Well, maybe it did since he was footing the bill, but still, the lack of thematic depth in District 9 and the cliche-ridden finale that left us puffed up for a sequel was not what I was expecting following the terrific first 15 minutes.
Why not talk straight about the fact that a white South African anti-hero doesn't learn his lesson about prejudice? Why not talk straight about the fact that the South African blacks are mistreating the prawns in the same way that they themselves were treated for generations? Why not explore the existence of the MNU as the operating arm of a massive, global military-industrial complex? Why not have one of the prawns rise as a Nelson Mandela or Steve Biko-type hero? Wouldn't be "popcorn"-friendly, I suppose, so best to leave all that background stuff securely in the background.
But enough with the whining and moaning, because of all the action-packed summer movies that allow you to shut off your brain for a while, I suppose I should be glad that District 9 is the only one I've seen. I'm guessing, for example, that it features much better acting than Transformers 2, Harry Potter, or G.I. Joe. Sharlto Copley was a real find to play the part of Wikus, and although I won't compare his acting chops to Daniel Day-Lewis, I think he'd be a fine choice to actually play Daniel Day-Lewis.
And so, the acting and the action and the awesomeness allow District 9 to stand out in its genre, even if it never rises above its genre. I think that's where I'd like to end up with all of these schizophrenic thoughts, on the bright side of things. I didn't care for the execution of District 9 but I loved the idea, and I acknowledge that somewhere in there is the potential for meaningful discussion, even if it's tucked away and eventually out of sight behind goo, guns, and gadgets.
And so, the acting and the action and the awesomeness allow District 9 to stand out in its genre, even if it never rises above its genre. I think that's where I'd like to end up with all of these schizophrenic thoughts, on the bright side of things. I didn't care for the execution of District 9 but I loved the idea, and I acknowledge that somewhere in there is the potential for meaningful discussion, even if it's tucked away and eventually out of sight behind goo, guns, and gadgets.
Grade:
Writing - 7
Acting - 9
Production - 9
Emotional Impact - 8
Music - 5
Social Significance - 4
Total: 42/50= 84% = B
And now...fun with nitpicking, because any movie considered the best ever deserves a closer look:
- District 9 is an original story, alright, but maybe only because no one has successfully combined the following movies using this formula: Star Wars + Children of Men + E.T. + Independence Day + The Power of One + Black Hawk Down + Jerusalema + Flight of the Navigator + War of the Worlds + Contact + Iron Man + Cloverfield
- Is it reasonable to believe that 1 million aliens with superior intelligence, strength, technology and weaponry would not be able to free themselves from their oppressors, or at least establish themselves more forcefully as legitimate immigrants? I don't think so.
- Come on, his name was "Christopher Johnson"? No explanation? From what I know about District Six, people were not given WASPy names as part of their forced relocation, but somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
- Why did it take 20 years for Christopher and his son to find a can of fluid on the ground? What was that, anyway, and how was that the key to their salvation? Way too convenient for my taste and it led to the only eye-rolling moment I had of the movie, when Christopher had to tell Wikus about the rarity of the stuff in the canister.
- Speaking of which, Wikus' ability to fluently communicate with Christopher was about as nonsensical as Luke Skywalker's ability to communicate with R2-D2.
- If the prawns and humans were having inter-species sex for so many years, why would Wikus be the first person to survive a DNA transfer? Is he supposed to represent a "chosen one"? I don't like that idea.
- Regarding the portrayal of Nigerians as cannibalistic savages (otherwise known as the "Armond White issue"), Blomkamp says in that earlier interview: "Sure, I'm totally aware of that. I know those buttons are going to be pushed. Unfortunately, that's the reality of it, and it doesn't matter how politically correct or politically incorrect you are. The bottom line is that there are huge Nigerian crime syndicates in Johannesburg. I wanted the film to feel real, to feel grounded, and I was going to incorporate as much of contemporary South Africa as I wanted to, and that's just how it is." So, wait, you're telling me that Johannesburg is swarming with cannibalistic Nigerians who sell cat food, have no regard for life and generally exist as evil scum in human form? "That's just how it is"? Hope they get things in order before the World Cup...- I'm not understanding the way in which the carcasses in the MNU laboratory were handled. Sometimes people are wearing masks, sometimes things are in bags, sometimes it's just an open room. Is this place sanitary, and wouldn't there be a host of alien diseases that humans couldn't withstand?
- The prawns are not being exploited or harvested or enslaved by the humans, right? They're a cancer that people want to get rid of and everybody knows it. So why wouldn't everyone - humans and prawns alike - be committed full time to simply finding the fuel that would allow them to return home, no hard feelings on either end? If a guy parks on your front yard after running out of gas, would you both just accept that the guy has to live there for 20 years, and would you both never consider the idea of, hmm, finding more gas?
- In operating the prawn gun/robot/walker thing, did it become an actual extension of Wikus' body? If not, why did bullets hitting the metal exoskeleton disable him so severely? Wouldn't he have been protected in that?
- When Christopher is beaten by the MNU agents upon his arrest, why is his battered head and eye oozing with red blood? I thought everything that came out of them was black? Seems like it was a cheap way for us to see Christopher as a human. In fact, maybe he was a human - yes, he was formerly a human and underwent the same transformation as Wikus, right? It sure seemed like he became much more human (especially on an emotional level) as Wikus became more alien.
- Speaking of which, could these prawns have been any more anatomically similar to humans? Their bone and muscle structure, their vocal communication, their upright, two-legged gait, their digestive systems (urinating), their sexual organs (urinating while standing?), their heads and hands - for all intents and purposes they were simply primates with thick skin. Is that the extent of the diversity of intelligent life in the universe?
- When the MNU headquarters are blown up from within and the incident is passed off as a "terrorist attack", how does the spokesperson get away with simply saying they've taken care of it, it's no big deal and it's contained? Wouldn't this be the equivalent of the Pentagon being bombed?
- Hey, all you Slumdog Millionaire haters, answer me this: District 9 was filmed on location in the shantytowns of Joburg, and you can bet your self-righteous dollars that many of the people we see in these slums are still mired in abject poverty. Should Neill Blomkamp be chastised for portraying this gritty reality, and furthermore be held responsible for lifting anyone featured in the movie out of poverty? Why not? What's the difference?
Good lord Daniel... you were really prepared for a review of this movie!! :0)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I'm gonna "defend" D-9 in any way, but I guess this sorta counts. You say:
- Why did it take 20 years for Christopher and his son to find a can of fluid on the ground? What was that, anyway, and how was that the key to their salvation? Way too convenient for my taste and it led to the only eye-rolling moment I had of the movie, when Christopher had to tell Wikus about the rarity of the stuff in the canister.
Wasn't the stuff in the canister the stuff that Christopher and his buddy were making while the village was getting raided? I remember he said something like "GurbleBlabbleBibbllBOOOoobOIIUNNNN" to his friend, which, if I remember correctly, was translated into English as "This took us 20 years to make."
Now WHY the stuff that got the spaceship to lift off the ground was also a virus that infected Winkus, I have no idea. Or, why it took these brilliant creatures twenty years to make a canister of stuff I have no idea... again, I think these are just easy plot conveniences.
- Is it reasonable to believe that 1 million aliens with superior intelligence, strength, technology and weaponry would not be able to free themselves from their oppressors, or at least establish themselves more forcefully as legitimate immigrants? I don't think so.
No. It is not reasonable at all. Especially since we see at the beginning that the prawns have no care for the humans.
(SIGH) Oh, District 9. What a mess you are.
Is this a review? Thanks for thinking so - it was more of an excuse for me to ask all of those questions. Kind of like apartheid was an excuse for Blomkamp to make an action movie about aliens in South Africa.
ReplyDelete1. Yes, the canister stuff was what they were making in that little meth lab in Christopher's shack, but before making that they had to find the extra juice in the garbage dump. Christopher's idiotic friend held up a CD and Christopher shut him down. Then the little kid found the can of juice. Seemed pretty easy. And yeah, the only way to explain the fact that the black stuff is both fuel and DNA infecting-material is that the alien technology operates from their DNA. I don't know, you'd think with as much advanced technology as they have they would develop a better fuel source for their ships.
2. Agreed, there seemed to be a lot of casual violence and killing between the prawns and humans, and it doesn't seem like the prawns, if they really think they are stuck on Earth forever (which they do, except for Christopher), would simply take the abuse. Why would they not fight for their lives in this new world? It doesn't make sense...
Daniel-
ReplyDeleteI not only think that the prawns would have fought for their lives, but I think they would have fought for territory. I mean, as easy as it was for Christopher and Winku (I really keep forgetting what his name is and don't feel like checking...) to break into MNU headquarters, you'd think a team of 10 prawns could totally take it on with their weapons and transformer in like half an hour!
And thanks for clearing up the stuff with Chris' friend. Totally forgot about that. I guess you can be as brilliant enough to make special spaceship juice but you can just as easily misplace it. If the aliens out there don't have their sh*t together like the prawns do, then maybe we should never try to make contact.
I've been going back and forth calling them prawns and aliens, but I'm not going to be PC about an out-and-out alien movie, despite the message it was trying to send. I'm going to keep calling them prawns.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, true that the prawns could have busted into MNU just as easily, but I suppose they would not have known that MNU would have had the canister if not for Winku (ha, Wikus). Although they should have figured that out if they were so smart. Or weren't they? It's like they were advanced beings who could not operate in any sensible way on Earth.
But you've brought to my mind another question: If the prawns are under such tight surveillance, and Wikus is the #1 wanted man in the city, how in the world did they get from District 9 to MNU headquarters without being seen? Was it across the street, and if not, would their trip have required using their alien weaponry against people in their way? Why not show those crazy scenes?
Wow...you gave the film a B, but reading your piece, it seems as though you don't actually think the movie is as good as the sum of its parts.
ReplyDeleteI think you're caught between reacting to the film yopu saw, and bemoaning the film you wanted. Sucks when that happens (happens to me all the time), but maybe it's also a little unfair.
Many of us who saw it went it anticipating brilliance, most of us walked away with just goodness. In a summer of TRANSFORMERS 2 and G.I. JOE, is that such a bad thing?
I'm starting to realize that reactions to this movie are directly tied to whatever expectations you walk in with. This film might have headier themes than some of its peers, but it still is, for all intents and purposes, a dumb popcorn movie. To be honest, this doesn't bother me -- most people would avoid a heady apartheid movie like the plague, so making the themes palatable to the masses isn't "wrong" so much as it comes with an inevitable price. The price, of course, is being a little bit stupid in order to be fun.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar reaction to The Dark Knight last year. Everyone was assuring me that it was, in fact, a serious, heady crime drama -- and when I saw it, I was disappointed to see that it was, for all intents and purposes, a pretty stupid movie about a guy in a rubber bat suit. Those expecting dumb action were pleasantly surprised; those expecting something deeper left disappointed.
Daniel, I find it interesting that you dismiss this film's "originality" on grounds that it combines numerous previous films into something new -- are you still holding out for that "truly original" movie that's absolutely nothing like any movie ever made before it? If a movie like that has ever been made, I have yet to hear about it... :)
That's a really important observation, Hatter. Reading through this you could get the sense that I thought the movie was well-done but I really didn't like it. Well that's half true, and the idea of liking the parts more than the whole is accurate.
ReplyDeleteOne of my goals in creating a "scoring" system was to try and take my reaction out of the picture in reviewing a film. I think there are some objective aspects that can be measured in movies, and although my scoring within each category is obviously subjective, as a whole it prevents me from completely writing off a movie just because "I didn't like it".
Now this isn't really well-designed and it would never hold up if I were a "professional", but it allows me to hate movies that I think are well made (Rachel Getting Married) and love movies that I think are horribly made (Anaconda).
District 9 lands somewhere in the middle, and although I admit my bias here (esp. about South Africa), I think my expectations weren't built up so much in the marketing (I never saw a trailer) as they were in the first part of the movie. Kind of like Indy 4 last year.
Luke, I have to make a gentleman's disagreement with you on that first point (although TDK is an excellent comparison). I'm just not OK with studios dumbing down movies to make themes palatable for the masses. Moreover, I don't even think the masses learned anything about apartheid from D9, and maybe that's the biggest tragedy of all. But within this argument lies both of our own preexisting knowledge about the themes, so it's kind of impossible to apply on a large scale. Either way, my guess is that most people are walking out of D9 and TDK talking about how "awesome" it is, instead of talking about any of the themes it presented (I except the same from the action and comedy in Inglourious Basterds this week). So why bother with the themes in the first place? Why not just make Transformers 2 and set box-office records around the world?
ReplyDeleteOn the second point, yes, I hold out some impossible hope for a movie to be made that completely blows my mind with techniques and ideas that I've never seen before and that have no relation to any movie ever made. I'll be waiting for a while...
What a cynical outlook Daniel. Just because most might not walk out of D9 talking about the themes doesn't mean all of them won't. So you want to wipe out all themes in any action film because you won't have a high enough acceptance rate? This from the same guy who refuses to watch The Cove because he thinks its a message movie that he believes won't have enough message? Jesus, does every movie have to be some overly dramatic, dry weighty piece that only focuses on the message, entertainment be damned? Or of course we could take the path you recommended, in which we simply dismiss anyone who enjoys a blockbuster as someone who can't possibly be interested in any other kinds of films so lets make sure to dumb them down as much as possible. What purpose would that serve other then making you feel better while you engage in blatant classism. Yes I'm being harsh. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, the prawns were a race of laborers, they weren't intelligent. It was stated multiple times in the film. As an added bonus they were addicted to cat food, and their lack of intelligence and forsight meant they were easy prey for people to convince them to trade away what little weapons they had to get their next fix.
The fuel was something they had to gather over a course of years, as only tiny parts of it were in their technology. The canister was part of their technology, but it wasn't filled with fuel. Christopher Johnson was shown adding the fuel to it later on.
Nigeria is home to one of the largest and most powerful criminal organizations in the world. Yes they engage in drug dealing, and yes they rose to power in South Africa during the 80's. And cannibalism is prevalent in many gangs throughout the world, specifically in Haiti. Even in places as refined as Jaimaica have a huge problem with tourists being kidnapped, rapped, beheaded and eaten by the local criminal element. You're being incredibly callus about such a serious issue, something you knock D9 for doing. Pot. Kettle. Yadda yadda yadda. :P
When Wickus enters the mech, he is demonstrably in pain as his body doesn't actually fit in it because it is designed to be used by prawns. You can even see blood running down his face as the headgear is cutting his head open. It is reasonable to assume that with him being already physically harmed just in entering the machine, that each blow would only further this issue.
They explained relatively early on in the film that they gave the prawns Christian names so as to better keep track of them. I also would assume that since neither species ever spoke the other's language that they probably had issues actually pronouncing words so the names seem like an obvious beaurocratic work around.
The prawns language was based on the actual native African dialects that use clicks and other sounds as part of their speech as an obvious alluson to the opressed African natives. Do you really think neither humans or prawns would learn another language in the span of 20 years? Do you think that is somehow impossible? Improbable? Its not something that has to be explained, nor should it. D9 is expecting the audience to actually put forth the mental effort to reach that conclusion on their own. A blockbuster film expecting its audience to think, what a novel idea.
ReplyDeleteBlomkamp has spoken at length that the prawns were purposely made to be similar to humans. They wanted to make it as easy for audiences to anthropomorphize them as possible. They also are clearly an homage to Cronenberg's The Fly. Double bonus.
Wikus wasn't dealing with DNA transfer or exposure. He was having his DNA rewritten from the ground up. That is a distinct difference. D9 also clearly shows that various people have attempted many times to absorb alien DNA, either through medical means or outright consuming their flesh, in an effort to transfer the DNA.
CJ could have been human, or some other life form that has hemoglobin in their blood. One of the great open ended questions is whether or not all the prawns are actually prawns, or were they originally other species that were converted into the working class by the leaders. Are the leaders a different race of beings? Are they simply more intelligent prawns? Its up to the viewer to decide, rather then having the answer easily force fed to them. Once again, quite a novel idea in an action film.
MNU was not a government agency, it was a corporation. It would be more like if the headquarters to Haliburton were bombed.
A bit scattershot but I think that is everything.
Now that's what I'm talking about...
ReplyDeleteRe: my cynical outlook. Come on man, I'm just trying to keep standards high! (Also, earlier today I finally read Ebert's post related somewhat to this subject - fine I'm a classist.)I'm not proposing abandoning all meaningful themes from blockbusters, but yeah, I'm still hesitant about the ones blockbusters that try to have it both ways. Either try - really try and commit - to being a message movie (I think TDK tried harder), or throw it all out the window and just take us for a ride (let's say Tropic Thunder or Hellboy II, since I haven't seen anything this summer). When you start mixing message and entertainment I'm always afraid that the message loses out. But yet we're all convinced that it doesn't lose out, and here we are with a lot of really high critical praise - much of it for the message! - for a movie that I believe is wildly entertaining but ultimately not so meaningful. I'm just trying to call a spade a spade here. And for the record, I did see The Cove and you were right about it and I hope to a review up in the next week.
Re: prawn intelligence. By that rationale I'm tempted to think Blomkamp would be comparing, rather insensitively, the blacks in District 6 to the innately unintelligent and easily exploited prawns in District 9, which I don't think is accurate because apartheid was more of a power hierarchy than a battle of wits. Wikus and his compatriots saying the prawns are stupid could be a completely subjective and inaccurate opinion, like the old theory that blacks were stupider than whites because the diameters of their skull were smaller, or any other debunked IQ theory.
Re: the fuel. Yeah I remember them creating the canister stuff, but what did they create it from? What was that liquid CJ's son found in the garbage dump?
Re: Nigerian gangs. Nice try, but depicting crime syndicates as prevalent and powerful is a lot different than depicting them as sub-human. There are disgustingly, perversely violent people all over the world, including the U.S., but Africans are typically the only ones who get the on-screen treatment. Jerusalema (played at MSPIFF) is based on actual events about a crime syndicate in Joburg, if you want to talk about "that's just how it is", but yet nobody is shown as a cannibal. And that's quite the generalization about a "huge" problem in Jamaica! I've been there twice, not in the tourist spots, and have never known anything of the sort.
Re: names. I asked for a correction and you provided; I totally missed the explanation about the Christian names. But the pronunciation is a mostly reasonable theory anyway.
Re: prawn language. I did know that is was based on an actual South African language (I think Xhosa), but what looked like rudimentary communication between Wikus and the prawns during the eviction process soon became a much more sophisticated understanding of each other. I definitely agree they would be able to communicate with each other on some level, but really, why would they need know much more than commands in the first place if the prawns are dumb, docile outcasts from society?
Re: prawn anatomy. I definitely was reminded of The Fly and I was unaware of Blomkamp's explanation for the similarity.
Re: Wikus' DNA. Well that's fine, but how was his incident different than the rest? Was his absorption of the black stuff through his face/nose/mouth the reason he survived?
Re: CJ being human. All of your questions are extremely intriguing, and I hope the sequel goes in that direction, maybe a little more introspective and dark before what's sure to be a celebratory third film where CJ's son saves the day from third race of aliens.
Re: MNU as independent contractor. Good point. But really, if you're going to use Halliburton as an example, then it almost is a government agency.
Well played, sir.
Sorry Daniel, but I have to side with Matt on the "classism" issue. The idea that entertaining art can't have heady themes is one that would throw out, among other things, the complete works of Shakespeare. In order to lift people up, you first have to meet them where they are. (Isn't that one of the themes of this film, anyway? Or is it invalidated by the fact that it's also an action flick?)
ReplyDeleteRegarding inferior intelligence, I would say that most people would agree that, while nobody is born with inferior potential, being saddled with a low standard of living and unequal opportunities can leave people "inferior," in the sense that they've been trained to act and think like they are. I don't know if that's the whole story with the prawns, but it would appear that it's at least part of it.
Re: my cynical outlook
ReplyDeleteI'd retort but I'm just basking in the joy of being right about The Cove.
Re: prawn intelligence
Its not that they are stupid, but they aren't of superior intelligence to humans either. They simply are blue-collar workers, thus they haven't had the priviledges of a higher education to fulfill their full academic potential. CJ seems to be a different animal, which means he either is just naturally smart or one of the few remaining members of the leadership class.
Re: the fuel
They were extracting it from the prawn components they found, which only contained trace amounts, as a decent size sample was powerful enough to run the ship. I don't think of the cannister so much as a fuel, but more like a car key. It was what was needed to turn everything back on.
Re: Nigerian gangs
If the Nigerian gangs were sub-human then so were the members of MNU who engaged in the exact same activities. They extorted, manipulated, and consumed alien DNA just the same as the Nigerians, they just wore cleaner clothes. Its really hard to argue that the Nigerians were depicted so horribly when the white members of MNU were shown to be capable of even worse atrocities.
As for Jamaican violence against tourists.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15302216.htm
and
http://www.yardflex.com/archives/003312.html
Its been a big problem for some time now and the government tries incredibly hard to keep it as quiet as possible. Despite a nice reputation, Jamaica is a very dangerous spot for tourists.
Re: names
ReplyDeleteOf course its reasonable theory, I stated it. ;)
Re: prawn language
I think you could attribute Wikus' improved understanding to him becoming a prawn, but even then he was occassionally prone to misunderstanding. "What was that? I couldn't understand you through all the clicks. Did you say three years?"
Re: prawn anatomy
I believe Blomkamp even went so far to say he tried to make CJ even more human (especially in his movements) then the other prawns. It was an artistic choice. Artistic choices in a blockbuster, what a concept! :)
Re: Wikus' DNA
The black stuff isn't prawn blood, nor part of their anatomy, which would explain why eating prawns or injecting their DNA isn't capable of transforming someone. My guess is that it is some sort of DNA reactant, and it is so highly concentrated that it simply overpowers any errant DNA it encounters. Its a leap to be sure, but I think it is at least a reasonable one.
Re: CJ being human
Blomkamp has said he'd be willing to do a sequel, but he already has his next project lined up. I'm sure with D9's financial success that he'll get pushed hard to make a sequel, but I have plenty of confidence in him making the movie he wants to make.
Re: MNU as independent contractor
How about Miller/Coors Brewing then? ;)
If I may, allow me to qualify my message vs. entertainment comment: "I'm still hesitant about the ones blockbusters that try to have it both ways." I'd like to add "because most of the time they don't do it very well".
ReplyDeleteAs it happens, my favorite movie from last year (and the only non-doc to ever receive an A+ here) provided thought-provoking entertainment for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. I consider Slumdog Millionaire a triumph in that respect because I didn't feel it had to dumb down or tuck back its themes (poverty, education, Indian social classes, love, family) in order to appease the audience. It met them where they were, but it actually took them somewhere. Same with Sugar and Stop-Loss and The Wrestler in the last year or so. Getting closer to recent sci-fi, I'd say that something like I Am Legend, which was flawed, still did well in remaining true to its idea for the duration. Same even goes for Moon.
So it can be done, and I'm thrilled when it is, but I'm slow to add D9 to that list. Maybe when my reaction cools I'll see it differently.
Your second point I would agree with, but I do think some people still incorrectly believe that some humans are born with inferior potential, and that environment and opportunity have nothing to do with it (recommended reading: "The Mismeasure of Man"). Tempting to think that no theory can be applied to the prawns because of the circumstances, but chew on this: CJ's kid (whether he is human or not) seems to be a bit of a genius, a slumdog millionaire in his own right, if you will. He finds the fuel juice can, he hid from Wikus quite cleverly (understood what was going on), and then saved himself and his dad and the day. Seems like he had plenty of innate intelligence and was operating in the only environment he ever knew (unless he is not a kid after all).
MG,
ReplyDeleteRe: the fuel. Like the idea of the canister being more of an ignition key than a fuel component. But anyway you slice it, especially because the prawns weren't being enslaved/used by humans, I still don't understand why the humans and prawns didn't work together to get all of this together immediately upon arrival. The prawns wanted to leave, the humans wanted the prawns to leave. Put your heads together and get a mechanic to work on that ship.
Re: Nigerian gangs. Yes, I've heard the "MNU as bad as the gangs" argument already, but a human could argue that the MNU was simply carrying out medical research for the greater good of humanity. It was a Tuskegee Experiment and, while unethical, it still allowed them to be seen as intelligent problem-solvers more than indiscriminate murderers. Also, still questioning the danger of Jamaica as a vacation spot. Stay on the coasts and away from Kingston and if you don't look for trouble it probably won't find you, just like everywhere else. But if this is really getting out of hand down there, then let's go Reel Life and make a movie out of it. Bet their tourism office wouldn't be too keen on that.
Re: Wikus' DNA. That's a plausible theory but pretty sophisticated than what I think Blomkamp would try to pull off. And then, if it is a DNA reactant, and if it's also what they needed for the ship to work, then why not start harvesting the stuff from the prawns in District 9? This is a muddy question, but with as much research/sex going on between the humans and prawns, you'd think somebody else would have had a similar experience.
Re: CJ being human. Oh I'm sure Jackson is pushing him hard to take a sequel and run with it. The guy would be crazy not to give up a free payday like that.
Great back-and-forth going on here. So much has been covered that I'm not about to get into the middle of it.
ReplyDeleteI will ask this, though, of the lovers (like me), the haters (Fox) and anyone in between (Daniel): can we all agree that, unlike Transformers (a movie we can ALL agree to bash! :) ), D9 was ambitious as hell, especially for a "popcorn movie," and perhaps just bit off slightly more than it could chew.
I'm thinking that the only way that the haters/middlers might have been satisfied is if the film had been four hours long, in which case no one would have liked it. Perhaps it might have been better off splitting the extising story into two and going from there. It's a thought, anyway.
Daniel - An enjoyable review. This film had potential, but it just wasn't successful beyond supplying some thrills in the final action. I enjoyed your nitpicking. You're good at that! I would have been willing to forgive most of the plot loopholes if the film had been more gripping and more dazzling visually. But the film did not deliver for me, so I do not forgive.
ReplyDeleteGreat middle paragraph point and thoughts, Fletch. And my nitpicking here should not be interpreted as disqualifying the movie (the same can't be said for Knowing). I made the points I wanted to make in the "review" part and I think Luke's comments get to the heart of that. The nitpicking is just fun to do, because it's just fun to argue about little details like that with people after you see a movie. Plus, Matt's responses helped me clear some misunderstandings I had.
ReplyDeleteSo, Hokahey, in that sense I did forgive the loopholes and I did (mostly) forgive the lack of depth, because I was definitely dazzled by the visuals.
the movie goer will surely get and be satisfied on whatever they expect on this movie once they got curious on what this movie caters for them...
ReplyDeleteone sure hit!!!
Congratulations on formulating a half-sentence that could literally - literally - be applied to any movie.
ReplyDeleteYou are missing fun by not seeing G.I Joe and Transformers Daniel. Inglourious Basterds is far better than them both. That and The Killing Room are probably more your speed and will not disappoint you. I have seen The Killing Room four times already. I am watching it right now.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on your District 9 Review:
“Why not talk straight about the fact that a white South African anti-hero doesn't learn his lesson about prejudice? Why not talk straight about the fact that the South African blacks are mistreating the prawns in the same way that they themselves were treated for generations? Why not explore the existence of the MNU as the operating arm of a massive, global military-industrial complex? Why not have one of the prawns rise as a Nelson Mandela or Steve Biko-type hero? Wouldn't be "popcorn"-friendly, I suppose, so best to leave all that background stuff securely in the background.”
Exactly as I would have put it if I had a serious problem with this film. Jesus Christ this review is so like one of mine when I go off. Love it. Yes Daniel, yes.
“ Sharlto Copley was a real find to play the part of Wikus”
I agree.
“I didn't care for the execution of District 9 but I loved the idea, and I acknowledge that somewhere in there is the potential for meaningful discussion, even if it's tucked away and eventually out of sight behind goo, guns, and gadgets.”
I disagree but I get hung up on how great a particular film could be ALL the time. I found some of the issues you spoke of below the surface. They were easy to see just never explored in the overt way you wished for.
My nitpicking tutelage put into action..
“Is it reasonable to believe that 1 million aliens with superior intelligence, strength, technology and weaponry would not be able to free themselves from their oppressors, or at least establish themselves more forcefully as legitimate immigrants? I don't think so.”
If they are friendly and want to co-exist in peace they would not use force. And remember, it was said in the beginning that the Prawn leaders or something died so they are mostly docile, without ambition.
“Come on, his name was "Christopher Johnson"? No explanation? From what I know about District Six, people were not given WASPy names as part of their forced relocation, but somebody correct me if I'm wrong.”
All the Prawns may have been given names when they were given homes (shacks) in District 9.
“Why did it take 20 years for Christopher and his son to find a can of fluid on the ground? What was that, anyway, and how was that the key to their salvation? Way too convenient for my taste and it led to the only eye-rolling moment I had of the movie, when Christopher had to tell Wikus about the rarity of the stuff in the canister.”
They did not can of fluid on the ground. They found a piece of their original tech in a junkyard, which would look innocuous to humans, that contained some of the fluid. Think of it like our oil which we convert to gasoline. Their conversion process is better, the fuel denser (a guess), so they need less of it yet it is far more powerful.
“Speaking of which, Wikus' ability to fluently communicate with Christopher was about as nonsensical as Luke Skywalker's ability to communicate with R2-D2.”
ReplyDeleteAnd since no really cares about Luke/R2-D2 communication abilities, nor Han and Chewy’s since Star Wars’ story is the attraction, I let the Chris/Wikus communication issue slide. Besides which, MNU might only hire people with great language abilities and people that have been taught to understand the Prawn language thus your language issue evaporates.
“If the prawns and humans were having inter-species sex for so many years, why would Wikus be the first person to survive a DNA transfer? Is he supposed to represent a "chosen one"? I don't like that idea.”
The fuel was the cause of Wikus’ mutation. It acted as a mutagen to his DNA.
“ I'm not understanding the way in which the carcasses in the MNU laboratory were handled. Sometimes people are wearing masks, sometimes things are in bags, sometimes it's just an open room. Is this place sanitary, and wouldn't there be a host of alien diseases that humans couldn't withstand?”
Excellent point.
“The prawns are not being exploited or harvested or enslaved by the humans, right? They're a cancer that people want to get rid of and everybody knows it. So why wouldn't everyone - humans and prawns alike - be committed full time to simply finding the fuel that would allow them to return home, no hard feelings on either end? If a guy parks on your front yard after running out of gas, would you both just accept that the guy has to live there for 20 years, and would you both never consider the idea of, hmm, finding more gas?”
The prawns could not leave Earth because the command module to their ship was missing, hidden underneath Chris’ house. So no matter what the humans and prawns wanted, the prawns were not going anywhere. Their mother ship was inert and they were not allowed access to it anyway. Humans did not know what was wrong with the mothership or that it needed fuel. The humans thought the prawns on the ship were “workers” not “thinkers”. Besides all that, MNU execs wanted them to stay so they could glean their tech off of them and make themselves rich.
“In operating the prawn gun/robot/walker thing, did it become an actual extension of Wikus' body? If not, why did bullets hitting the metal exoskeleton disable him so severely? Wouldn't he have been protected in that?”
Not if it were a mental/mind connection. Then it makes sense. Remember that rig around his head inside of the mech.
“When Christopher is beaten by the MNU agents upon his arrest, why is his battered head and eye oozing with red blood? I thought everything that came out of them was black? Seems like it was a cheap way for us to see Christopher as a human. In fact, maybe he was a human - yes, he was formerly a human and underwent the same transformation as Wikus, right? It sure seemed like he became much more human (especially on an emotional level) as Wikus became more alien.”
Remember the dead Prawn on the table in the basement of MNU? Red blood there as well.
“If the fuel they had left was enough to power the mothership, why waste time trying to get the little pod ship off the ground? Doesn't seem like that pod was very fuel-efficient.”
That was their only way back to the mothership (Prawns did not have access to it) plus that was the command module to the mothership. Without it the ship could not be navigated.
“Speaking of which, could these prawns have been any more anatomically similar to humans? Their bone and muscle structure, their vocal communication, their upright, two-legged gait, their digestive systems (urinating), their sexual organs (urinating while standing?), their heads and hands - for all intents and purposes they were simply primates with thick skin. Is that the extent of the diversity of intelligent life in the universe?”
I would have preferred the aliens from War of the Worlds, the book, myself.
“When the MNU headquarters are blown up from within and the incident is passed off as a "terrorist attack", how does the spokesperson get away with simply saying they've taken care of it, it's no big deal and it's contained? Wouldn't this be the equivalent of the Pentagon being bombed?”
ReplyDeleteHow do you compare the MNU building to The Pentagon? The organizations they house are not even in the same field. “they've taken care of it, it's no big deal and it's contained?” Agreed. That was BS.
Thanks for all of those great thoughts, Film-Book. As you and Matt have put to rest a lot of my nitpicking, I've been able to sit comfortably with my "B" rating and accept the fact that my expectations were high and I was simply watching it from a different perspective as most people.
ReplyDeleteTo address a couple of your comments:
- "MNU might only hire people with great language abilities and people that have been taught to understand the Prawn language thus your language issue evaporates."
Now that's an interesting point I didn't consider.
- "The prawns could not leave Earth because the command module to their ship was missing, hidden underneath Chris’ house..."
Yeah I guess despite the kid's button-pushing I never really understood the the underground pod was the central command module and not just a satellite/extra ship from which he could communicate with the mothership. It still stands to reason that even though the prawn leaders had been killed, from the million prawns still left Chris could have formed some kind of team in those 20 years to help him get the thing off the ground. Seems like it was just his kid and the gang Prawn-guy who got capped. Trust was probably an issue but for the greater good of getting the mothership back up, it's surprising there was no other effort/cooperation.
-"Remember the dead Prawn on the table in the basement of MNU? Red blood there as well."
Nice call - but were those really dead prawns, or actually prawn/human experiments gone wrong? Either way, Chris' possible identity as a former human could explain it as well.
Let me just say as the nitpicking may be reaching its conclusion that I'm still really interested in Blomkamp's ideas and this sequel. I don't think D9 was perfect (the third act/villain cliches are bad no matter what), but I'll really try to watch D10 & D11 for what they are, not what I was expecting them to be.
No problem Daniel.
ReplyDelete"Nice call - but were those really dead prawns, or actually prawn/human experiments gone wrong?"
Could be.
One of many unanswered - or unanswerable - questions.
ReplyDeleteD-9 definitely has a lot going for it -- character development, great acting a at least a few people, awesome alien weapons; it felt a bit preachy at times at different times though
ReplyDeleteI think I like this movie more than you, but I agree that the ending was the weakest part. It was technically brilliant, but it didn't feel right. I felt it took the easy way out by settling everything in an over-extended action sequence.
ReplyDeleteI thought maybe the first hour of this film was remarkable, but the second half went on a little too long, particularly the action sequence. Still one of the best films of the summer -- in, yes, a weak summer like you said.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Danny. Technically brilliant is right on and I'd even add conceptually brilliant. Maybe just not thematically brilliant.
ReplyDeleteWhat I appreciated about the first half, as you say, is that it really was fresh, unique, something that we haven't seen much of before. Then it just started to look like a lot of other movies, which was somewhat of a let down. Not that I was ever bored - just merely entertained instead of blown away.
Completely agree.
ReplyDelete