[mage lang="" source="flickr"]Are There Subtitles For Aliens In District 9[/mage]
This film I am told is from a short story and I am intrigued how it can stand up to approximately 2 hours of screen time.
I do not think the audience knew what to expect from this film made in South Africa. The trailer looked good and mysterious presumably producing a half full cinema on the 1pm showing. It started off well in documentary mode building up the story. After the shock of the thick South African accents and attempts at humor calling the aliens ‘prawns’ the story wandered along with a barrage of integration between humans and aliens. Throughout the film when the aliens spoke there were subtitles for the audience to know what they were saying but I do not understand how the humans knew what they were saying. The F word was used many times in dialogue and across the bottom of the screen. I wonder if the director thought this would bring realism to the action?
The story then continued losing for a while its documentary setting. An idiot of a leader was found to move the aliens to another site with attempted humor at knocking on doors and asking them to leave. He is then impregnated with a fuel source that starts to change his DNA to alien.
Meanwhile the alien ship with a bit missing stands ominously in the sky. The missing part buried into the ground is released like an afterthought early in the documentary piece. As soon as the leader starts to grow an alien arm the establishment want to dissect him and put a sadistic military commander on his trail. The aliens although having superior weaponry linked to their own DNA with only themselves being able to fire them, never do, and run about like aggressive headless chickens. The story unfortunately goes nowhere and gradually returns to documentary showing the emotions of the lives that have been affected.
As a lover of science fiction my gut feeling is that two screenwriters got together and concocted a cascade of ideas that changed many times over the writing period which in turn led to a poor story line. The professionalism of the visual and special effects held it all together and at one point did have a tremendous pace with visual excitement. This was nowhere near a comedy spoof and in this age of financial misery people are looking for escapism. I think the director was trying to portray a message of some kind but the satire was Puerile.
Films like Van Helsing based on fantasy and myths, seems more realistic because of a strong storyline and a definite climax. This is not classic science fiction but more to be watched when you want a knockabout alien film.
Have a look at it for the visuals. I give it (5 out of 10)
This article is from Robin G Howard (the G in the middle is Geoff) the author of Jim Long space agent series of books. All books can be bought using ISBN numbers or from the publishers – All Interest Books.co.uk. To find out who is Jim Long space agent, go to the author site at http://www.sfauthorsite-JL.com – library and bibliography of four full novels and two short stories are now on release in the Jim Long space agent series. The fourth book ‘Religious Fanaticism’ just released as an ebook and paperback edition, can be bought from the publishers site – All Interest Books.co.uk. Further info can be found at the Jim Long space agent video on YouTube.
District 9 trailer. Unblurred faces. EPIC!!!!
