Asi-9 2: The Stupiditying
This entry was posted on 8/18/2009 9:29 PM and is filed under Film.
District 9 was a big hit over the weekend, which was nice—especially since the director has offered a few thoughts that almost border on the conservative. It’s still best to avoid dwelling on the film’s politics. You should also avoid dwelling on the film’s plot holes. There is, however, an interesting point where the politics and plot holes converge for real fun.
My best memories of
District 9 will always be about the film’s marketing campaign. I have a 5-year-old son who’s enjoyed walking around Manhattan and finding all the variations on “For Humans Only” signage and posters. To him, of course, the ad campaign translates into “No Monsters Allowed.” I didn’t try to convince my kid that it was bad to segregate monsters from the humans riding on the city buses. I could guess that was where the ad campaign was going, though. Nothing really subtle about it.
District 9 still looked pretty cool.
As noted, the same heavy-handed politics don’t interfere with the plot. Still, those posters and signage make no sense within the context of the film. Why do restaurants have signs basically declaring “No Prawns Allowed” if the aliens are already locked away in camps? Does the occasional Prawn just wander out past the gates and into the local diner for a cup of coffee?
I’d like to have seen that in the film, but the scene wouldn’t make any sense. It would be like watching a Godzilla film where the big lizard steps on a sushi bar that has a sign on the door saying “No Godzillas Allowed.” Or like watching a
Friday the 13th film where Crazy Ralph is putting up signs that say, “No Machetes Allowed.” Oh, well.
District 9 is a nutty movie. That’s why it’s so much fun—especially when you meet someone who acts offended when you call the aliens “Prawns,” because then you’ve missed out on the entire message of the film.
Did you know that Walt Gorney—who played Crazy Ralph in the original
Friday the 13th—died in 2005? He lived to the ripe old age of 92
because he didn’t go into the woods.
