Wow.

very poilitical, didn't you think?
yes, very wow. not your basic feel good flick.

No, agreed Stella, not feel-good. A thorough drubbing! What vision and execution - both mind boggling to me. Political and just about everything else too, including incredibly funny at times. Definitely not "entertainment" but as astonishing a work of art as I've come across in a long time. I thought it was like Milton. Tom

was hoping the screenplay was based on a novel but my search revealed the movie was taken from a sci-fi short film called Alive in Joburg 2005.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1185812222812358837

Let me preface my comment by saying science fiction is one of my favorite genres of film and that sci fi is most effective and most powerful when it is used as a lens for our present times. Although this film somewhat did that I was still disappointed with it.

My main problem is that while it made a powerful comment on the greed and corruption of private security firms and the innocent that suffer because of it, it fell well short of any meaningful commentary on racism and equality. The film is clearly an allegory for the problems of racism in Johannesburg and much of South Africa but just as the film is approaching a real statement about inequality and oppression, just as Wikus is reaching a personal crisis, just as Christopher discovers the atrocities being done to his people; the film devolves into a stereotypical action film. The entire third act is one long gun fight in which the security firm is discredited, the Nigerian gangsters are eliminated, and Christopher makes his escape. Wikus becomes a side story and all we know is he turns into a alien and makes his wife a metal flower. Imagine what it must have been like when his change was halfway complete and he was unable to conceal it from people, very visibly alien but still half human. The aliens and humans alike would have shunned him. That would have made for a powerful film. As it stands I felt it was a let down.

It suffers from what another potentially great sci fi film called Sunshine also suffered from. The 180 degree third act genre change to try and please broad audiences. It is a common trend among sci fi films. In order to appeal to larger groups the end of the film abandons the style of the first hour and devolves into a Hollywood cliche. I Sunshine's case the film becomes a slasher movie, in District 9 it becomes big budget action.

Oh, well. Too bad, Stewart. I was aware it was a mix of genres, but it worked for me. I didn't see it as having a single theme either, which I also enjoyed, it seemed to present a fuller scenario than that. But you make good points. You also made me curious about the Sunshine movie! Tom

Tom--That review might have been a little harsh. I did enjoy aspects of D9 but I think my expectations were so high that maybe nothing could have met them.

Sunshine is a great movie--until the last 30 minutes. It is definitely worth seeing though, stunning cinematography and great acting throughout. It is about the crew of a spaceship in the near future on a mission to reignite the dying sun. It is a really moving film about isolation and the meaning of a persons life. Highly recommended despite the disappointing third act.

My main problem with the movie, in agreeance with Stewart about the third act of both D9 and Sunshine, is that it essentially remakes Blood Diamond into a sci-fi, stealing continually more of it as the movie goes on. And, although Blood Diamond is an actioner with the guise of poli-social awareness, it still succeeds on a deeper, more rewarding thematic level.