District 9

[Gary]

Has anyone seen this movie yet?

It's pretty incredible.  I'd say it's a true return to the genre of Science Fiction - where most of the "sci-fi" movies over the last decade should really be classified as Science Fantasy.

Neil Blomkamp <sp?> is the new Ridley Scott.  I was utterly impressed how well paced, well written, and *original* it was.

Quick summary without giving anything away:   

In the mid-1980's an alien ship landed on Earth and simply hovered over South Africa.  After months, we flew some ships up there and broke into it to discover that it was full of starving, sickly aliens.   So, we take them and place them in an area called District 9 - but over a series of years, the area becomes overridden with crime and quickly turns into a slum.

We enter the story 20 years later, where an inspector is "evicting" aliens from their slum homes - with the intent on transferring them to another, newer area they'd called (appropriately) District 10.

But they don't want to be moved... they want to go home.

And we won't let them.

I'd say that, in my 36 years of watching science fiction... I'd easily place this in the all-time top five.

[Uncle Matt]

Not seen that one yet Gary, but it sounds just like my thing...

I'll keep an eye open for it.

Matt

[andyb]

I've seen the trailer but not the film - at a first (albeit brief) glance special effects look good but I couldn't help wondering if they have 'borrowed' the space ship from Independence Day?...

but on the strength of the trailer and your enthusiastic recommendation it's now on the list!

AndyB

[Gary]

Comparing this movie to Independence Day, is like comparing fine wine to coca cola. 

[andyb]

Comparing this movie to Independence Day, is like comparing fine wine to coca cola. 

no no - you mistake me, Sir...

I was only thinking that the alien spaceship reminded me of one of those that appeared over the cities in Independence Day

...but then I've only glimpsed them in the trailer - still not seen the movie properly - but you might see what I mean from the first few moments of the trailer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjihaK7HfGs 

[itchychick]

I took the boys to see it.... I was taken aback by the strong language at the begining (especially with an 8 year old there), but mid way through I was really drawn in - a real story!  I sympathised with and was grossed out by the aliens all at the same time!

Sci Fi's not really my genre, but I'd rank it pretty highly as a film too....

[andyb]

I went on Tuesday with Wifely One - it was the 'default' film as all the one's she wanted to see were at inconvenient times to fit in with a number of other things we have going on atm..

Anyway, I thought the special effects were extremely good - but then I would expect nothing less from a director that brought us Lord of the Rings

The storyline was good and I was pleased to see that the Aliens hadn't decided to hover over the States for a change - although their choice of South Africa wasn't perhaps their best move (perhaps they had no real choice) as they become the subjects of a new type of segregation - an interesting twist on South Africa's history re apartheid. Would be interesting to speculate what would've happened if they had come to rest over some other country/continent - how would for example the Russians or the Chinese have treated them? or even the Australians or Brits? etc

Also the final scenes have been left conveniently unfinished which may mean that a sequel is in the offing? (District 10 maybe?)

A couple of things I found myself questioning:

For example how was spoken communication with the aliens established? In the film the human's speak English and the aliens speak their own language (thank goodness for subtitles!) but both seem to understand each other;

When the inspector finds what turns out to be fuel for the Alien spaceship, opens the canister, it sprays all over him - apparently emptying the container - yet there's enough left to power the spaceship at the end of the film - so if it took 20 years to fill the can up why didn't they leave years ago as apparently a lot less would've got them away?

I'd also have liked a more 'believable' alien lifeform to have been chosen - but then that's just a personal preference - seafood has never been a real favourite of mine...

but other than that I am looking forward to a sequel...

Andyb