District 9
I went to see District 9 today with Dad. I won't unmask anything you can't tell from the previews. Since I have just gotten home my brain hasn't marinated in the movie as it will have in a few hours, but here's my take.
If you're remotely interested in the movie, you already know what you're in for - aliens, violence, racism, and a few thinly disguised but amibgiuous soapboxes. What you don't know is that they are all more intense than you imagined and yet very good.
If - and this is a big if - you like to sit and dissect plot and symbolism behind the movie like an English major (or heavy minor), this movie is like a stack of firewood leaning against your log cabin - it promises satisfying hours of gratification at your leisure.
For everyone else, I want to assure you that the movie will deliver on all four expected categories. It can be shocking and horrific, even to the point of leaving you groping for who to call a hero, but there's hope. Not that you really came for the hope part. You probably saw guns, choppers, and aliens and thought to yourself, "this could be pretty cool." But you'll want some hope in there, trust me.
While there is plenty of camera-wiggling to reinforce how violent some events are or how the "footage" shown is being recorded in field conditions, they eventually smooth out. They really couldn't skimp on the special effects and tell this story the same way. As a matter of fact, when things really get satisfying and you get to see the aliens's power armor in action, there is a long, clear, series of scenes in which they break down and let you enjoy the full capabilities of the armors in heavy duty action. You can't really do fan service before you have fans, but this is exactly that kind of indlugance. They really ought to segregate that section with a message like "The following is rated IA for Incredibly Awesome." I can't praise them enough that shootout.
For most anyone who reads my blog, it's not an issue, but I feel obligated to say this: I wouldn't take a kid near this movie for love or money. The violence is bad, the visual and moral grossness are intense, and it's a thermonuclear F-bomb apocalypse®. While I'm almost in the same breath, I need to say that it's also an incredible experience. Why do I feel I need to add that? Because I keep seeing people take their kids to adult movies and you never know what in my wording might cause Google to present this blog entry to someone innocently curious.
For the next few hours I'll be mulling over the movie's messages. The vicious, hopefully over-the-top scenario presented really does shake your view of humanity with its portrayal. It's fiction, but it's thin veil of allegory slides accessibly to the side to reveal an arrow to our historical track-record - and I'm not referring solely to the early United States. So this tale of man's violent humanity to violent, inhuman aliens bounces around in your head, not content to remain academic - just as intended.
Oh, and wow it was spectacular. Perhaps it could have been better without the thought-provoking issues that some writer intended as a scathing indictment and that another wisely diluted, but it was spectacular.
If you're remotely interested in the movie, you already know what you're in for - aliens, violence, racism, and a few thinly disguised but amibgiuous soapboxes. What you don't know is that they are all more intense than you imagined and yet very good.
If - and this is a big if - you like to sit and dissect plot and symbolism behind the movie like an English major (or heavy minor), this movie is like a stack of firewood leaning against your log cabin - it promises satisfying hours of gratification at your leisure.
For everyone else, I want to assure you that the movie will deliver on all four expected categories. It can be shocking and horrific, even to the point of leaving you groping for who to call a hero, but there's hope. Not that you really came for the hope part. You probably saw guns, choppers, and aliens and thought to yourself, "this could be pretty cool." But you'll want some hope in there, trust me.
While there is plenty of camera-wiggling to reinforce how violent some events are or how the "footage" shown is being recorded in field conditions, they eventually smooth out. They really couldn't skimp on the special effects and tell this story the same way. As a matter of fact, when things really get satisfying and you get to see the aliens's power armor in action, there is a long, clear, series of scenes in which they break down and let you enjoy the full capabilities of the armors in heavy duty action. You can't really do fan service before you have fans, but this is exactly that kind of indlugance. They really ought to segregate that section with a message like "The following is rated IA for Incredibly Awesome." I can't praise them enough that shootout.
For most anyone who reads my blog, it's not an issue, but I feel obligated to say this: I wouldn't take a kid near this movie for love or money. The violence is bad, the visual and moral grossness are intense, and it's a thermonuclear F-bomb apocalypse®. While I'm almost in the same breath, I need to say that it's also an incredible experience. Why do I feel I need to add that? Because I keep seeing people take their kids to adult movies and you never know what in my wording might cause Google to present this blog entry to someone innocently curious.
For the next few hours I'll be mulling over the movie's messages. The vicious, hopefully over-the-top scenario presented really does shake your view of humanity with its portrayal. It's fiction, but it's thin veil of allegory slides accessibly to the side to reveal an arrow to our historical track-record - and I'm not referring solely to the early United States. So this tale of man's violent humanity to violent, inhuman aliens bounces around in your head, not content to remain academic - just as intended.
Oh, and wow it was spectacular. Perhaps it could have been better without the thought-provoking issues that some writer intended as a scathing indictment and that another wisely diluted, but it was spectacular.