Quote :

"You have to wonder if it takes only two people with the alien guns to break into the MNU why are the aliens not using thier own weapons to get out of the slums? Or at least take the cat food. haha "

At one point they say that they think the aliens are all workers with no leader, so I just assumed they were more or less mindless, or at least mindless enough to let the humans bully them around.

8/24/2009 5:31:15 PM

^ah. I seem to recall them saying that now. But at one point they show one of the aliens holding an AK-47. (i seem to remember)

8/24/2009 10:13:55 PM

^^yea i couldnt tell is that was the "species'ism" or true, but it seems like the only explanation

and:

Quote :

"(don't you think the MNU would have disabled his security code? "

it seemed that wasnt "his" code but the code for everyone, it probably would have taken a while to change the code and give it to everyone and he had only been gone for a day or two, plus what made them think he could/would break in? they didnt know what was in the tube, so they didnt even know he wanted to come back in. they prob assumed he would try to get away not come back.

8/24/2009 10:22:29 PM

Why didn't the slaves rebel against the drastically outnumbered slave owners?

Why didn't the Jews rebel against their outnumbered concentration camp captors?

It's just a weird aspect of psychology that sometimes happens when you have a slum/concentration camp type of situation.

I would wager the cat food was supposed to be a symbol of hard drugs like cocaine that can make a potentially powerful group very docile and easy to control.

Overall, I think the situation the aliens were in was very believable, if you accept they have social hierarchies similar to ours.

8/24/2009 10:27:51 PM

Quote :

"Why didn't the slaves rebel against the drastically outnumbered slave owners? Why didn't the Jews rebel against their outnumbered concentration camp captors?"

b/c they didnt have space age weapons?

slaves rebelled against their owners all the time, but it was generally futile, so why bother? jews resisted where they could, but by the time they figured out what was really happening, they were malnutritioned prisoners going against armed guards who shoot first, then shoot second, then shoot third, then maybe ask questions.

8/24/2009 10:32:36 PM

exactly woody, in morons examples they werent the superior tech. like in the movies.

Although, I suspect you are right about the cat food moron and I agree except about the aliens had technology on thier side.

8/25/2009 11:54:23 AM

Quote :

"Moon. I mean, it's obviously debatable (a retarded, not very interesting debate), I just think people are being way too quick to say "MOST/ONLY ORIGINAL SCI-FI IN YEARS.""

Moon was good, but far from original. It's as ridiculous to call Moon original as it is to call District 9 original. Moon has obvious ties to things like Twilight Zone episodes and 2001. Unoriginality doesn't diminish the quality of either movie for me, but I guess you're just too upset to let other people enjoy the movie if they honestly think it's the best they've seen in a while.

8/25/2009 12:09:05 PM

Quote :

"it seemed that wasnt "his" code but the code for everyone, it probably would have taken a while to change the code and give it to everyone and he had only been gone for a day or two, plus what made them think he could/would break in? they didnt know what was in the tube, so they didnt even know he wanted to come back in. they prob assumed he would try to get away not come back. "

If security were important at all the door codes would be per user + integrated with a central system so disabling 1 user disables his access to everything pretty much instantly. Thats how any big company today is going to do it so I would imagine a company as big as MNU would probably do the same. Of course it wouldn't matter if he had an alien weapon handy so as a plot hole its not huge.

I mean there are all kinds of tiny plot things and the pacing feels like a short story stretched to feature length, but for the most part it was enjoyable and the effects were pretty great. If anything it proves you dont need to spend $texas on actors and directors to make a commercially viable movie.

8/25/2009 12:45:31 PM

Quote :

"Moon was good, but far from original. It's as ridiculous to call Moon original as it is to call District 9 original. Moon has obvious ties to things like Twilight Zone episodes and 2001. Unoriginality doesn't diminish the quality of either movie for me, but I guess you're just too upset to let other people enjoy the movie if they honestly think it's the best they've seen in a while."

Relax, I've said multiple times that this movie has enjoyable action, and I can see why people like it. I just think letting a movie as good as Moon drift into oblivion-- and calling this the best and most original sci-fi evarrr(in a loong time) by far --is a little preposterous.

And Moon turns many of its influences on their heads, fwiw.



[Edited on August 25, 2009 at 2:21 PM. Reason : .]

8/25/2009 2:19:04 PM

They are searching for him and want him alive. Leaving his door code activate gives them a very good opportunity to know his location and attempt to capture him if he decides to try and come back.

8/25/2009 2:34:42 PM

Quote :

"And Moon turns many of its influences on their heads, fwiw."

But that doesn't mean those things are unexpected in Moon...at least, I didn't really expect the robot to be like HAL because... well, why make the same movie over again? Drawing the influence so directly (to the point of using a voice like Spacey's) still forces comparison, even if the newer movie chooses another path. I'm not sure how District 9 is specifically less original for taking a big social issue and translating it to aliens.

8/25/2009 3:27:03 PM

Quote :

"I just think letting a movie as good as Moon drift into oblivion-- and calling this the best and most original sci-fi evarrr(in a loong time) by far --is a little preposterous."

I'm not sure it's so much preposterous as the way things are. You're talking about a movie that was released in 252 theaters and has made 6 million worldwide in 10 weeks vs a movie that was released in 3,000 theaters and has made 80 million in 10 days.

How can people champion a film they haven't seen? Perhaps over time it will get the credit you claim it deserves. It's not uncommon for that to happen.

8/25/2009 3:50:00 PM

Quote :

"If security were important at all the door codes would be per user + integrated with a central system so disabling 1 user disables his access to everything pretty much instantly. Thats how any big company today is going to do it so I would imagine a company as big as MNU would probably do the same."

The guy at the end points out how incompetent the company was at hiding it's secrets on the network, perhaps they were also incompetent at door security as well.

8/27/2009 12:29:22 PM

Goin to see it tonight

8/27/2009 9:01:42 PM

Pretty good but I didnt get to see the first thirty minutes....................someone fill me in.

8/28/2009 11:57:06 AM

so the wife and I went to see this today...I thought it was a really great way to start it like a documentary...

...unfortunately, we had to leave right when Wikus hand comes out of the cast because the wife's nausea had reached the point right before the point of no return

but I read the plot on wiki, and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it, had I stayed to finish my $10 popcorn

is Wikus' complete transformation portrayed on screen (the way Dr. Grundle was in The Fly)?

8/29/2009 12:45:17 AM

no its not

8/29/2009 12:50:10 AM

no. for the most part, its just his arm that is alien. eventually you see signs that his body is turning, since his skin is tearing off. Near the end of the action, his eye changes like the first post in this thread.

At the end of the film, they show a green alien who is making a flower that has bandages on its arm, presumed to be Wikus.

8/29/2009 1:23:02 AM

i think the movie makes a point to show the black south africans as the ones who want the aliens to leave,
which would be ironic because they were in the position of the aliens in real life where the whites wanted them to leave
so i dont see this as a american type movie where they say the blacks are the victims
they are saying the blacks would do the same thing if put in the position that whites were in

8/29/2009 9:36:54 AM

well that's just racist

kidding

thanks for the answer, though

8/29/2009 10:27:19 AM

Quote :

"...unfortunately, we had to leave right when Wikus hand comes out of the cast because the wife's nausea had reached the point right before the point of no return"

hehe she shoulda stayed for the "weapons demonstration."

8/29/2009 10:46:59 AM

this movie fucking sucks

9/13/2009 12:20:24 AM

Why?

9/13/2009 1:19:17 AM

i agree. pretty awful movie.

9/13/2009 4:47:37 PM

Just wondering if the one of the members of the happy couple would care to elaborate on that point.

9/13/2009 6:05:25 PM

trolling that is

9/13/2009 6:18:27 PM

I love sci-fi movies, as well as blood/guts/gore/violence movies. I was so excited to see this movie after I saw the trailer, but I was totally disappointed.

While the movie had a great story and made a good statement, it just couldn't hold my attention. I felt like I didn't get to know any character besides Van De Merwe, and I would've liked to know more about the prawns and their lifestyle on earth. Overall I felt like I was watching a sci-fi Blair Witch Project.

9/13/2009 7:51:20 PM

agree.. it didn't explain anything in depth about the alien ppl. it could have showed why they showed up, why their little mother ship was 'stuck' there yet somehow could hover just fine (although it was able to take off just fine later from this "liquid" that I'm assuming was from them anyways..), blah blah blah. instead it was just this one family after this "liquid" shit that was never explained either. could have at least gave a blurb about what happened later about whether the alien ever returned after "3 years" and turned the guy back into a human. could have given more info about his wife/father in law situation after he ran away from the experiment place.

blah blah blah.

9/13/2009 9:25:36 PM

part of the appeal to me was that they didn't explain everything, they just threw you into the middle of the action/story. thought it made it feel less cookie-cutter than a lot of alien/sci-fi movies

9/13/2009 10:45:51 PM

^^, ^^^

that sound is the entire point of the movie flying over your heads

9/13/2009 11:24:23 PM

OH MAN YOU TOTALLY GOT ME

i got the 'point' just fine. just didn't like it.

9/14/2009 8:49:24 AM

sounds like you just have no imagination

9/14/2009 9:19:05 AM

Funny how the people mad at the lack of explanation are probably the same ones who would have used the additional info to find plot holes etc.

9/15/2009 7:51:28 AM

bump

12/25/2009 10:00:54 PM

thinking about buying it on blu ray. i thought it was awesome when i saw it back in august.

12/25/2009 10:06:09 PM

^thank you my good sir

all the good reviews in this thread made me think it would be a good idea to go and rent it. this movie was horrible. i really don't understand what made all of you love it so much.

12/25/2009 10:09:54 PM

what movies would you call great

12/25/2009 10:11:03 PM

care to explain why you thought it was horrible?

12/25/2009 10:11:30 PM

netflix'd it this week and i gotta say i enjoyed it very much

i liked the story - they revealed just the right amount of plot - not too little, not too much. also, i thought the cgi was very good.

12/25/2009 10:23:24 PM

1) the acting was over the top and cheesy. some of it can be blamed on the writing, because these characters were way too cliche.

2) although i have appreciated shaky cameras in some action movies to give the effect of being in the situation, i didn't like it here. it was way too much and gave me a headache. especially with how the prawns were close in shade and color to the shacks around them, it was hard to focus on what was happening on screen.

3) the story sucked, period. if the movie had been about an alien species freeing itself from the horrible confines of human society, i would have understood. but it became more about a human trying to stop himself from becoming an alien, and in the end it turned into a buddy flick (the whole "I won't leave you here to die" scenario).

4) there was no closure. two or three times he;s on the phone with his wife saying don't give up on me, I'll fix it, we'll be fine, and all he gives her is a metal rose? and there's no salvation of the species, just Christopher and his son. bogus.

12/25/2009 10:28:34 PM

how bout answer my question too

12/25/2009 10:43:58 PM

as far as sci fi goes, i'm big into star wars and star trek, and everything else is hit or miss. the only other thing in recent years i can immediately recall enjoying was The Island.

I'm much more into fantasy than sci fi.

[Edited on December 25, 2009 at 10:57 PM. Reason : -]

12/25/2009 10:56:39 PM

ohhhhhhh

ok

12/25/2009 11:12:44 PM

Quote :

"but it became more about a human trying to stop himself from becoming an alien, and in the end it turned into a buddy flick (the whole "I won't leave you here to die" scenario)."

No, it didn't.

12/25/2009 11:18:52 PM

Quote :

"1) the acting was over the top and cheesy. some of it can be blamed on the writing, because these characters were way too cliche."

i didn't find the acting to be cliche at all, and i'm usuallly pretty good at detecting that kind of thing. i thought the actor did a great job of portraying the character. he was just a weird guy. the only cliche i could give you would be the whole unlikely hero thing.

Quote :

"2) although i have appreciated shaky cameras in some action movies to give the effect of being in the situation, i didn't like it here. it was way too much and gave me a headache. especially with how the prawns were close in shade and color to the shacks around them, it was hard to focus on what was happening on screen."

well it worked with the initial documentary feel of the movie. and i don't understand your complaints about not being able to distinguish the prawns from the shacks. it really wasn't an issue at all unless maybe you have issues with eye sight. if you live in filthy living conditions you're gonna reflect the environment around you.

Quote :

"3) the story sucked, period. if the movie had been about an alien species freeing itself from the horrible confines of human society, i would have understood. but it became more about a human trying to stop himself from becoming an alien, and in the end it turned into a buddy flick (the whole "I won't leave you here to die" scenario)."

well, the movie kind of WAS about an alien species freeing itself from the horrible confines of human society. they were put in a slum and treated like shit. they just wanted to go home, and they weren't allowed to, so christopher found a way to get himself, his son, and the rest of the prawns out of there. it was also an allegory about apartheid as well as mankind's general lack of tolerance to those who are different. and what he said ^ in terms of the buddy flick. wickus did what he did out of his own self interest, not christopher's.

Quote :

"4) there was no closure. two or three times he;s on the phone with his wife saying don't give up on me, I'll fix it, we'll be fine, and all he gives her is a metal rose? and there's no salvation of the species, just Christopher and his son. bogus."

so was he supposed to move in with her as a prawn for 3 years until christopher would supposedly come back? just because you are left with an ending where you don't exactly know what happens next doesn't really make it such a bad thing. you're just like the people who screamed bloody murder after the sopranos finale.

12/25/2009 11:20:55 PM

hahahahahaahahahahahahahhaahahahahahahhaha

Quote :

" bdmazur This movie was fucking HORRIBLE What movies so I like? I love movies like Punisher: War Zone, Jason X, The Love Guru, Bloodrayne 2: Deliverance."

And just because THE SHARK EATS THE PLANE OUT OF THE SKY!



[Edited on December 25, 2009 at 11:22 PM. Reason : das]

[Edited on December 25, 2009 at 11:22 PM. Reason : f]

12/25/2009 11:21:14 PM

yea...usually when you get a list of movies that people like it answers the confusion pretty quickly

12/25/2009 11:34:18 PM

he's also the guy who said 9 looked like it would be the best animated film of all time after he saw the preview before harry potter

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=571623&page=1#13254547

12/26/2009 12:00:08 AM

I also hated this movie (saw it when it came out). If there was supposed to be some grand point to the movie, it was lost thanks to the insufferable protagonist and absurd length.

But I mean, when they finally started shooting weapons, that was at least decent.

12/26/2009 12:05:25 AM

Quote :

"well, the movie kind of WAS about an alien species freeing itself from the horrible confines of human society. they were put in a slum and treated like shit. they just wanted to go home, and they weren't allowed to, so christopher found a way to get himself, his son, and the rest of the prawns out of there. it was also an allegory about apartheid as well as mankind's general lack of tolerance to those who are different."

That's what the focus should have been, but it wasn't.

12/26/2009 12:18:56 AM