District 9

[Doctor Who?]

I have to wait 15 hours before I can see it

[spaceforarent]

I have to wait 15 hours before I can see it

20 for me.

[Nergol]

Back. My review's up on the blog:
http://gtpodnotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/district-9-too-good-for-its-own-good.html

tl;dr = Don't expect a riff of this one.

[Relaxing Dragon]

Still trying to put my thoughts in order, and I'll write something big later today. Quick version: surpassed my expectations and absolutely floored me

[spaceforarent]

 
I hate it when everyone cancels. Now I have to wait until who knows when

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

In this day and age, R is just as likely to mean a badly done sex scene as serious gore (which again, why is this something really good?) or serious treatment of subject matter.

When was R not likely meant sex or violence?

You mean like Ordinary People?

[Doctor Who?]

Wow! 

That was one of the best sci fi movies I have ever seen period. I watched the adds over and over before the movie but I still had no idea where the story was going.  Oh and Christpher(Was that his name)is one of my favorite aliens ever.  I really hope this is a big hit.  The end was just great I love it how they leave it up to the viewer's imagination what happens next.  I really hope the star(sorry I forget his name),and the director(His name slips my mind too)get to make more movies.  Boy the studios really missed out when they didn't sign him to make Halo.  Am I the only one who thought the movie looked like it cost a lot more then $30 million?  Also the theater I went to was packed I really hope this is a sign that this movie is going to do well.

[Variety of Cells]

Alright, that's too many positive reviews in a row, I have to chime in.  It's good and it's definitely worth seeing in theaters if the trailers interest you.  But it's not perfect.  The CGI isn't all that great, granted I have high CGI standards.  Though you learn to look past it for the most part.  Some of the acting in the beginning interviews is a little sub par.  Actually I could have done without the 'documentary' bookends completely.  The story isn't bad, but there were a lot of emotional turning points that seemed to happen off screen, which was strange.

So just don't go in expecting a masterpiece.  You'll probably enjoy it more that way. 

[Relaxing Dragon]

The only problem I spotted with the CGI was that the aliens looked a little toony at the beginning (especially the first group in the ship and down in the camp). Other than that, I thought it all looked great (especially for a budget that small. At least, small compared to other effects-heavy things). And wouldn't slightly sub-par acting in the documentary segments make sense, what with ordinary people that are supposed to be interviewed?

One thing that did sort of bug me was how the documentary stuff was shot the exact same way as the rest of the movie. Made it difficult sometimes to see what was from the camera and what was a more normal piece of the movie (though the little MNU symbol in the bottom right helps).

[Doctor Who?]

Here is my thing with the CGI and why I didn't care.  All CGI looks dated in about 18 months to two years after it was done so i don't really notice bad CG unless it is really bad.  Also I went in know that for this type of movie D9 was done on a pretty small budget.  I can't remember the last time I saw a Sci-Fi movie that cost less then $100 million.  As for the acting I thought it felt like watching real people talking to news cameras not actors pretending to talk to real people.  As I said I loved this.  I can't wait for the Blu Ray.

[Artie]

I saw the movie tonight.  I thought it was a really good serious movie that turns into a big, dumb action film (but very well done) at end.

The friends I saw it with did not like it all.  In fact they found it to be very racist.  Basically their argument is if the movie is an allegory on apartheid and the aliens are shown as savages, then that what the movie is saying about those who actually suffered under apartheid.

[Doctor Who?]

Did they not pick up on the whole thing where the aliens are clearly the victims just trying to survive and the fact that every villain in the movie is a Human?

[Tripe]

The friends I saw it with did not like it all.  In fact they found it to be very racist.  Basically their argument is if the movie is an allegory on apartheid and the aliens are shown as savages, then that what the movie is saying about those who actually suffered under apartheid.

They're only vaguely aware of the situation in SA during that time right?

[TeamRAD]

It was Alien Nation & City of God in one, yeah! 

I liked it, but I didn't find anything mind-blowing about it. And as for the CGI, I don't have any standards, unless we're talking Cameron's upcoming Avatar, and I thought the alien weaponry was very nifty. It even garnered applause at the showing I was at. It was definitely a fun twenty-dollar ride, and I'm looking forward to breaking it down when the DVD arrives.

But someone answer me this, the Prawn did exhibit aggressive tendencies, so why didn't they use their weaponry against the authoritarian rule of the humans? That didn't work for me.

Any theories on where Chris & Chris Jr. are going to? They're not returning to their home planet. So what the hell's going on?!?! 

[Artie]

Did they not pick up on the whole thing where the aliens are clearly the victims just trying to survive and the fact that every villain in the movie is a Human?

They were aware of that.   They just saw the aliens being depicted as savages (I didn't at all, we didn't seen enough of them take that kind of determination) and they way the Nigerians were represented, and the fact that its a white man who saves the day all add up to racism.

We had a lengthy discussion about this, which basically came down to them saying I can't see the racism in the film because I happen to be a white man.