District 9

Alright, now I'll be mindscrewed, going in expecting to not be impressed, because I'm expecting to be impressed.....or something.

...I think I need a minute to work this out. <.<

It'll be better to just tell you. The trailer lies. A lot. If you're trusting the trailer, don't.

edited 18th Aug '09 8:24:49 PM by Zephid

I wrote about a fish turning into the moon.

Saw it, loved it! Now I want Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp to start working on the Halo movie again.

I've got two guns pointed west and a broken compass.

Just came back from it. Think I saw a few tropes I need to add that weren't on the page when I last looked at it (They're probably there by now anyway).

I am surprised there is no Disabled Badass trope yet, because the Nigerian gang leader is heavily implied to be in a wheelchair.

Yeah, I'd probably say that District 9 is basically what people were expecting Cloverfield to be. Make of that what you will.

***BEGIN NITPICK BLOCK***

The Jittercam really was horrendous near the start of the movie. I don't get motion sickness from it like some people, but it does make my head hurt. Also, for some reason looking at the "prawns" early on the movie kinda made my head hurt, too. I'm not sure if that's Uncanny Valley or just the Weta team doing a great job of making them look so alien that my mind has difficulty coping. I could have done without the "Second person shooter" camera angle shit during the MNU invasion sequence.

Fortunately, I didn't spend the entire movie with a headache.

Wikus at the beginning. Look, my reputation for being an OH&S Wonk is well deserved but seriously what the fuck was up with his blatant disregard for personal safety? The guy's got to be the most insanely fearless bureaucrat I've ever seen.

I know he's just been promoted and wants to impress, but seriously the number of Too Dumb to Live moments was incredible. From his endless jollyness in front of pissed off, super-strong 7 foot tall slum-dwelling aliens, to a complete lack of basic Hazmat precautions. Even in a regular slum, there's a whole bunch of hazmat issues with disease and toxic waste, but in a slum full of alien biotech and chemistry labs he's acting like a kid on a field trip. It's no wonder even his Mum states he's not that bright. How did this guy make it past puberty?

Also, given that the MNU apparently had quite some time (It was 28 years, right?) to develop security protocols about this sort of thing, they seem to have really been caught with their pants down. Seems pretty embarassing when an evil MegaCorp turns out to be less good at preparing for this sort of thing than a bunch of guys from 4chan and TV Tropes. That said, 28 years is probably enough time for them to get complacent.

Still, seriously, Wickus access codes still working. WHAT. THE. FUCK?! That really is Too Dumb to Live (admittedly Thomas does elaborate on their stunning incompetence at internal security near the end).

Finally, in my latest addition to my "Fuck the OFLC" list, for some reason the alien interrogation scene easter egg was arbitrarily cut out. What the hell was in that scene those whiny sons of bitches objected to? Or do they just get their joys out of being a bunch of Obstructive Bureaucrats?

***END NITPICK BLOCK***

Still, apart from those pretty minor niggles, this movie was really awesome. It was a wonderfully dark and cynical piece of Speculative Fiction, with loads of Stuff Blowing Up. It's hardly a massive paradigm shift from the Hollywood mode of Action Blockbusters, but it's just the right amount of different for it to feel like something new and interesting without being slapped in the face with foreignness.

I hope to see more movies like this in the future and am definitely interested in a sequel. Mind you, that sequel's gonna be a real crapshoot. It could either be really lame or really awesome.

Again with the data mining, dear Aunt?

I've always wondered what Cyberpunk in the developing nations would be like and for some reason I think it'd be like this.

Actually, it seems that we do — it's just called Handicapped Badass

"Cyberpunk id developing nations." Check out Otherland, it's main characters are a South African Comp Sci professor, and a Bushman.

My main nitpick of the film is that the clever/educated/whatever aliens never tried to talk to the humans. There's too many people at all levels in all the organizations (governments/UN/companies/universities) who would move heaven or earth to talk to an alien scientist/engineer.

My second nitpick was that the focus of the alien tech was to make the guns fire. That might be relevant for a few years at the most, but over the long term the goal needs to be understanding how the weapons work. And honestly, if a spacecraft can hover in the sky for years at a time without using fuel, that needs to be studied. The mechanism for that could change the world far more than a gun that makes pigs explode, even in the limited field of small arms (think railgun).

edited 19th Aug '09 12:18:23 AM by Oscredwin

Sex, Drugs, and Rationality

I'm given to understand there are no alien engineers present. The only alien who acts as if he's educated is Christopher. For all we know, the ship that ended up in Johannesburg was their species equivalent of a mass transit bus.

I must admit I'm personally quite intrigued as to why the hell the humans left the spaceship alone during all those years. For some reason, it seems that everyone just collectively lost interest in the thing the moment they discovered the aliens.

My Fan Wank for that is going to be some sort of retarded bureaucratic restriction preventing anyone from getting aboard it because most of the world powers were on the brink of nuclear war squabbling over salvage rights and the best reasonable compromise was to forbid anyone from having salvage rights.

EDIT: One thing I found interesting is that some people seem to have considered it a What the Hell, Hero? moment when Wikus set fire to a bunch of alien eggs while cheerfully remarking how the popping sound they made reminded him of popcorn. It should be noted that he said explicitly that he considered it to be an abortion. I do find it interesting when some movies manage to give people a brief glimpse into a pro-lifer's point of view, be it intentional or otherwise.

(Doesn't mean you'll agree, of course. But it helps to get an idea how the world looks from the perspective of your political opponents. Helps one to remember they're humans, albeit misguided ones.)

edited 19th Aug '09 4:56:22 AM by Korgmeister

Again with the data mining, dear Aunt?

Well, the fact that he's essentially trying to commit genocide probably has something to do with it. I'm also not sure if it can be What the Hell, Hero? given that he was far from being a "hero" for the first part of the movie.

I guess it is.

Ack motion sickness. Well, it was worth it, I suppose. Luckily the camera work shifted in the middle of the movie giving my nausea a chance to settle down. I went in with no expectations other than "this is a sci-fi movie" and was pleasantly surprised. Nitpicking time!

A) Why in the world does alien fuel mutate people into aliens? Given that their interface technology seems to be mostly biological, I'm wondering if maybe that rather than "fuel" it's some sort of interface fluid. Further, maybe the aliens actually mutated themselves into that form from some else? That at least would vaguely explain it. Some sort of genetically engineered species designed for tool use (slave species?).

B) Why didn't Christoper talk to anyone? Clearly he understands their technology fairly well, so why didn't he make deals with the humans instead of working illegally? Apparently he wasn't aware of quite how evil MNU was, so why didn't he make with a deal with them to fund his research? Also, why is he so knowledgeable? He seems to have training or something. Is he a different caste from the others? It's sort of implied (maybe) that he was in the ship that fell down when the mothership landed, so is he their missing leader caste that was speculated about by the mockumentary? If so, why didn't he try to lead his people?

C) Does anyone else think that the movie might've been even better without the action sequences? They made me think of the Sci-Fi Ghetto. People aren't going to take Science Fiction seriously if it feels the need to insert lengthy action scenes into every story. Obviously, you'd need to replace that with something else or you'll end up with a hollow movie, but that something else could've been better. And then maybe the good reviews wouldn't come qualified with "for a science fiction movie".

D) A sequel would almost certainly be a pretty bad idea.

edited 19th Aug '09 12:30:33 PM by Clarste

I see the fluid as some sort of nanotech. There's really no good way to go about changing someone's DNA really, because you have to pretty much replace all of the cells, right? It might (barely) be possibly with an aggressive, super advanced nanotech bot or something. It would also explain why the stuff both turns him into an alien and helps to power the command module.

As for why Christopher doesn't help MNU ... well, I think that he's shown to be somewhat of a pacifist. That's why most of the mayhem is done by Wikus.

If you're thinking about MNU or other companies reverse engineering the technology ... it might be that they've been trying for a long time, and simply can't do it. It might be like someone in the 1800s trying to reverse engineer a modern computer; they're so many levels removed from being able to understand that kind of technology that they simply can't do it.

One of the things that actually bothers me about the movie is that most people come away from it thinking "Man, those lower caste aliens are brutish, stupid, and violent!" which, if you try to map it onto actual slums, comes out to be kind of racist. The real reason (in my mind) that the aliens are the way they are is that they were incredibly malnourished, and then deprived of good care at the hands of the humans. They've been living a pure subsistence lifestyle for so long that they don't really think about anything else - just like actual people who live in actual slums. It also doesn't help that they're addicted to cat food.

https://www.fanfiction.net/~alexanderwales

And now I'm imagining prawns driving around holding guns sideways and shooting each other over...Cat food.

It's like Grand Theft Auto. With lobster people.

I was wondering what a video game adaptation would be like. I hope it never comes to be.

Also, AFAIK we're already re-writing DNA in living organisms with present biotech. One of my best friends is dating a geneticist and he says it's already being done. As a transhumanist, this brought me much Squee. I should bear in mind we're not doing anything as radical as changing one species into another. Amongst other things, that sort of thing has very few practical applications anyway.

edited 20th Aug '09 3:43:33 AM by Korgmeister

Again with the data mining, dear Aunt?

Just saw the movie yesterday, and it exceeded all expectations. Definitely the best movie that I have seen this year, and granted it doesn't get screwed over like The Dark Knight did, I think it has a chance for a best picture Oscar. Not that that really means anything anymore.

edited 20th Aug '09 9:19:31 AM by Bill

'I'll show him a martyr! I'm going to do die SO HARD'

It has aliens and explosions: It doesn't have a chance.

I've got two guns pointed west and a broken compass.

I saw it last night. It was definitely one of the best films this year (I'd rank it as tied for second with Coraline). Not the best film ever made, but it was certainly the best alien movie I've seen in a long time.

https://www.facebook.com/emileunmedicatedanduncut

Meanwhile, admit it: You "awwww'ed" over Christopher's kid.

Yes, I had that feeling.

No chance in hell of taking the trophy, but with the new 10 nomination slots it could get nominated. 1-2good sci-fi films getting their nose under the tent like that could break us out of the Sci Fi Ghetto.

Sex, Drugs, and Rationality

A few points.

EDIT: And I'm afraid that my "Best Movie of 2009" Award goes to Coraline. Although I did find District Nine more interesting, it's the film I'm tempted to see again, whereas Coraline was mainly about the spectacle.

• Sign me up for the "The Prawns weren't that bright" camp. It's a common expectation that aliens are going to be smarter than us, but it doesn't necessarily follow that a more technologically developed species is going to be smarter. It could just be that they had a several million year head start, but progress at a slower rate than we do. It should be noted that the prawns on the ship were so incompetent at looking after themselves that even the crappy slum conditions the humans set up for them still resulted in an improvement in health. It's possible that they're what happens when the Lotus-Eater Machine breaks down. Perhaps they were all so used to being coddled by friendly A.I that when the A.I systems had an unexpected breakdown, they had no idea how to look after themselves. When the humans broke into the ship to find them in a wretched state, there seemed to be no organisation or leadership. Humans, even uneducated ones that grow up in a slum/ghetto know how to organise. To a certain extent it's an instinct we owe to being a social predator. I'm probably being humanochauvanist, but the prawns showed little evidence of being particularly intelligent by human standards. Christopher was probably a genius by their standards (note that every other prawn he talks to apart from his own son seems like a nitwit compared to him.)

• Why do we have actions and explosions in Sci-Fi movies? Because it's fun! I do not believe District Nine would have been a better film as a result of being focused on dialogue rather than action? Hell no! It would have made a great novel, possibly even a good TV series, but a fucking boring film. Films excel at telling short, action-packed stories. Long, introspective examinations of humanity and philosophy are what novels are good at. If you want both at the same time, then go read a fancy-pants comic book.

• Mainstream acceptance of geeky art-forms like sci-fi and animation would be nice, but I don't see why it's something we should actively strive towards. Are geeks still suffering from such a cultural cringe that we can't shamelessly enjoy something unless the mainstream accepts it? If the Sci Fi Ghetto breaks down, that would be fabulous. But it would be fabulous because it means that more people could enjoy something and not be instantly turned off because it's got aliens or time travel in it. But let's be frank, if this happens, it'll be because people open their minds a little. This isn't something that happens very often so frankly I don't think it's wise to get too hung up on something. I certainly don't think sci-fi should be turned into turgid Oscar Bait just so we can extend the fandom to include a bunch of snobby neo-beatniks and hipsters.

edited 22nd Aug '09 1:38:50 AM by Korgmeister

Again with the data mining, dear Aunt?

Well clearly some of the Prawns were smart (at least the one we saw). I enjoy a good geeky film as much as the next nerd, but destroying the ghetto will get us better movies like this one, and less "Sci-Fi Original Movie" crap. There is nothing wrong with sci-fi directors making movies and having the choice of striving for Oscar gold.

Sex, Drugs, and Rationality

Clearly your view of the academy is less jaundiced than mine. Anything short of masturbatory Oscar Bait isn't going to get their attention. Not unless we have an actor literally kill themselves in giving the performance of a lifetime.

Again with the data mining, dear Aunt?

I don't think it's that the prawns were particularly dumb, it's that they probably don't think of leadership and seizing power like we do.

And even if they did, I don't think we'd fare much better ourselves. If a crowd of modern people, used to the comforts of society, were stuck in a barren environment like that spaceship for three months, without survival skills or resources to improve their conditions or leave, they'd probably end up in much the same situation. Just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

You also have to consider that only Chris and his son got enough Character Development to know their true personalities. Even still, the rest of the prawns acted like quite a few people do when living in the same conditions (despite the obvious differences, of course).

BTW: Was I the only one who was relieved to see that many of the MNU employees, military men, and Apathetic Citizens in the film perfectly fit the Flavor 2 Eagleland stereotype despite being on the other side of the globe? As an American, it's comforting to know that these type of people exist all over the world.

edited 23rd Aug '09 6:35:06 AM by Wheezy

Novel progress: The Adroan (110k words), Yume no Hime (81k), The Pigeon Witch (40k)

I'm not against action sequences in sci-fi movies. I simply thought the action-heavy ending of District 9 wasn't one of its strong points.

Just got back from watching the film. Quite good, and my expectations didn't really hurt my opinion. I'm thoroughly convinced that I need different people to watch it with though, apparently it's 'low-budget' and 'stupid'.

Anyways, I wonder what exactly that prawn was before the whole affair? Did he come down in the ship that detached, and if so, why? Something just seems fishy about that particular part.