District 9

[Tomorrow]

I really liked this movie and I will watch it again. It was well worth the purchase price (since I didn't win it from Matt).

Finally we disagree on something. I'm with Jeff...this was just one more jiggly, hand-held camera "YOU-ARE-THERE-BREAKING-NEWS-LIVE" amateur films. You can get seasick watching it. Okay special F/X's. Goofy premise. Good audio. Disjointed storyline. 3 stars out of 5. This one is probably better if you've been drinking...almost made me want to start doing so.

 

[Davemcc]

Finally we disagree on something. I'm with Jeff...this was just one more jiggly, hand-held camera "YOU-ARE-THERE-BREAKING-NEWS-LIVE" amateur films. You can get seasick watching it. Okay special F/X's. Goofy premise. Good audio. Disjointed storyline. 3 stars out of 5. This one is probably better if you've been drinking...almost made me want to start doing so.

I like movies for other reasons. In this case, I like the idea that the aliens do not arrive with a goal of conquest. The aliens are more human than the humans, in fact. It's a story that highlights the flaws in our own character. The special effects, cinematography, etc. are secondary to me.

At this point, I should add that there is a certain kind of special effect focus that many new movies seem to be using that I don't care for. The whole Speed Racer/GI Joe genre disturbs me...effects for the sake of effects and no consideration to story telling, plot development or character development. It's just flash/boom for the sake of visual awe with no effort or intent to create something substantial. I think if you take your critical eye off the image and focus more on what the writers of District 9 are trying to tell you, you will probably enjoy it more.

 

[Tomorrow]

I like movies for other reasons. In this case, I like the idea that the aliens do not arrive with a goal of conquest. The aliens are more human than the humans, in fact. It's a story that highlights the flaws in our own character. The special effects, cinematography, etc. are secondary to me.

At this point, I should add that there is a certain kind of special effect focus that many new movies seem to be using that I don't care for. The whole Speed Racer/GI Joe genre disturbs me...effects for the sake of effects and no consideration to story telling, plot development or character development. It's just flash/boom for the sake of visual awe with no effort or intent to create something substantial. I think if you take your critical eye off the image and focus more on what the writers of District 9 are trying to tell you, you will probably enjoy it more.

I got the social message. It's so in-your-face you can't miss it. The more-than-human alien line has been used a lot in the genre (most classic is Day The Earth Stood Still...same moral messages in that one, too).

I agree with you about the slam-bang special effects just for the sake of keeping the viewer connected. But that is exactly what they are used for...even when most tastefully done in movies such as another classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Nah, I saw nothing new to crow about in this movie. But remember, I gave it 3 out of 5...so it wasn't bad IMHO. I just wasn't all that good, either. And lordy, who invented that jiggly camera technique. Get a rope! It's just a feeble (and irritating) attempt to simulate action.

 

[Adam]

I also didn't like the movie because of the story line. I thought that the effects were cool, but I don't enjoy any documentary (fictional or not) on the brutality of humans. I know that many people go through life without the slightest respect for other life, but I still don't enjoy it.

On another note, I wonder what the aliens looked like before they were exposed to the fluid.

 

[Tomorrow]

I wonder what the aliens looked like before they were exposed to the fluid.

 

[Halon451]

Actually just watched this last night, so here are my thoughts:

Overall, I thought it was decent* - I was more than a bit disappointed in the story itself, thinking this would be a really good flick with some kind of meaningful storyline and captivating character development. I had heard this film was rather low-budget, which led me to believe that maybe they offset this by an intriguing plot, or something that might get a person thinking, etc. As it was, it was a movie about aliens that look like bugs. With a huge spaceship. And interesting weapons. And...

*Spoiler Alert*

The main human character in the movie had gotten on my every last nerve by the time the end credits rolled, and I was actually happy to see him fully morph into an alien so I wouldn't ever have to hear his whiny, nasally gibberish any longer. Unfortunately about that time - the movie ended. Now we're left wondering if his alien pal will come back 3 years from now as promised to turn him back into a human? Will he be able to patch things up with the wife? "Hey honey, I know I've been MIA for three years, but listen.. the funniest thing happened on the way to the store - I got sprayed by some alien goo, and next thing I knew my arm had turned into a lobster claw!" What the hell?! Who wrote this steaming pile of dung?

The only thing that saved this movie in my opinion were the effects and... that big ol' spaceship hovering over Johannesburg just plain looked awesome. So I basically gave in to the cool visuals and occasional good burst of sound from my HT system, popped the top on a beer and proceeded to try and drink until I liked the movie. The end.

 

[robbotis]

When's the sequel coming out?

 

[Alex2507]

Thanks to Jack Hammer I know to watch the special features.
Solid 3 stars and maybe a pinch more.

SPOILER !!!

I'm just jealous that that thing could work a computer better than me.

Having seen it I don't mind so much that pzaur ended up with my copy.

Is cat food like alien crack?

 

[Jack Hammer]

Watched it for a second time last night. I liked it a lot more this viewing than the first, and I liked it the first time. Wickus seemed less whiney (if that's at all possible) than I recalled him being and going into this viewing having a basic understanding of what was going on really helped it move along for me in a less 'jerky' manner.

*I didn't like the God of War demo, got bored really quickly.

 

[Audioholics]

Did anybody watch this on an Oppo? My Netflix copy put the alien subtitles "off-screen" (you could just see the very top of the letters on the very bottom, and when there were two lines of text you got the top line) so there was no way to see what they were saying... It was like watching half a movie. I put it in my Samsung and it played correctly.

Thought I'd ask before I inquired further with Oppo. Might be Oppo + the way they encoded the subtitles... no idea.

 

[j_garcia]

Did anybody watch this on an Oppo? My Netflix copy put the alien subtitles "off-screen" (you could just see the very top of the letters on the very bottom, and when there were two lines of text you got the top line) so there was no way to see what they were saying... It was like watching half a movie. I put it in my Samsung and it played correctly.

Thought I'd ask before I inquired further with Oppo. Might be Oppo + the way they encoded the subtitles... no idea.

I didn't have any problems with mine as far as I remember. Do you have specific scenes and maybe I can compare? (Mine is a purchased copy). Didn't they release a firmware with the ability to adjust the position of subtitles recently?

 

[MidnightSensi]

Did anybody watch this on an Oppo? My Netflix copy put the alien subtitles "off-screen" (you could just see the very top of the letters on the very bottom, and when there were two lines of text you got the top line) so there was no way to see what they were saying... It was like watching half a movie. I put it in my Samsung and it played correctly.

Thought I'd ask before I inquired further with Oppo. Might be Oppo + the way they encoded the subtitles... no idea.

Did you have it on zoom by accident?

Check the player and the tv (or projector).

 

[HedgeHog]

Did anybody watch this on an Oppo? My Netflix copy put the alien subtitles "off-screen" (you could just see the very top of the letters on the very bottom, and when there were two lines of text you got the top line) so there was no way to see what they were saying... It was like watching half a movie. I put it in my Samsung and it played correctly.

Thought I'd ask before I inquired further with Oppo. Might be Oppo + the way they encoded the subtitles... no idea.

I had the same issue and it was because I installed the latest f/w. Here's Oppo's response to me:

"You likely did not perform the Reset Factory Defaults and your Subtitle Shift has been enabled (Video Setup->Display Options). This option needs to be set to "0".

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc."

 

[Jack Hammer]

Watched it on a PS3 - no issues.

 

[cwall99]

Did anybody watch this on an Oppo? My Netflix copy put the alien subtitles "off-screen" (you could just see the very top of the letters on the very bottom, and when there were two lines of text you got the top line) so there was no way to see what they were saying... It was like watching half a movie. I put it in my Samsung and it played correctly.

Thought I'd ask before I inquired further with Oppo. Might be Oppo + the way they encoded the subtitles... no idea.

I watched the standard DVD from NetFlix on my Oppo DV-980H, and didn't have any problems. But I'm guessing you were looking for folks who used the BDP-83.

 

[rmk]

Did anybody watch this on an Oppo? My Netflix copy put the alien subtitles "off-screen" (you could just see the very top of the letters on the very bottom, and when there were two lines of text you got the top line) so there was no way to see what they were saying... It was like watching half a movie. I put it in my Samsung and it played correctly.

Thought I'd ask before I inquired further with Oppo. Might be Oppo + the way they encoded the subtitles... no idea.

I had the same problem. I downloaded the current OPPO firmware (it was Beta then) and did the usual USB load, then per the OPPO upgrade instructions, I did an OPPO reset and it worked fine after that.

BTW, just doing the upgrade without doing the Reset Factory Default did not work. To be safe, note any custom speaker settings before hand as the reset may wipe them out.

 

[cwall99]

I was more than a bit disappointed in the story itself, thinking this would be a really good flick with some kind of meaningful storyline and captivating character development.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

The main human character in the movie had gotten on my every last nerve by the time the end credits rolled, and I was actually happy to see him fully morph into an alien so I wouldn't ever have to hear his whiny, nasally gibberish any longer.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Wait a minute!!! You didn't get the part about him morphing from a whiny, self-serving cretin into someone who wanted to do the right thing?

The guy starts out the movie as one of those nameless Fox News-watching corporate toadies willing to exploit the letter of the law rather than the spirit of it all in the name of self-interest, and, by the end of the film, he gets it.

You didn't see him start to morph first from a guy with no real natural power (despite his title, the guys doing the real work with the prawns obviously have nothing but contempt for him). The power he believed he had he believed was rightfully his because of his job title. Then, as the black juice starts to take over, he's consumed with panic as he realized he was turning into a prawn (and, because of his own earlier actions, he realized just how screwed he would be - especially if the prawns realized who he was). Finally, he starts to
care for something other than his own self?

Huh. You and I must've watched different movies.

Frankly, the guy was much creepier as a human than he was as a prawn, and I think that's the thing.

 

[Davemcc]

Excellent interpretation, cwall99.

 

[desmondlewissmi]

Awesome movie

I watched this movie on my PS3 and had no issues. The movie was GREAT and for sure carried a pretty good message. I would rate this movie a 7.5 out of 10

 

[just-some-guy]

i saw it 2 weeks ago. i liked it.