I originally wrote the following short review as a comment after an Onion article while on my lunch break today, but have decided to post it a second time as a blog entry. Those with sensitive eyes should be cautious, because I swear here about as much as a mid-1990s PG-rated movie. Yes, I really did just post that warning. I'm also going to include another warning: I hope I remembered the movie correctly, but I'm not sure that I did. It's been more than a few months. There. I admit it. It's done.
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Here are my two cents. To me, District 9 and Burn After Reading delivered the same punchline in two very different ways: Human nature just sucks, sometimes.
There were no angelic, doe-eyed, supernaturally sweet victims of injustice. No heart-of-gold chosen ones to avenge and protect them. Absolutely every character in the whole movie was an asshole. Like Burn After Reading before it, District 9 was like an open-faced sandwich of universal, human character flaws--the refreshing opposite of a James Cameron movie.
To include some spoilers:
The human protagonist in the "chosen one" role remained treacherous, prejudiced and jaw-droppingly selfish throughout the movie, even when he did morally OK things.
Most of the aliens stranded on Earth acted exactly as listless and bitchy as I would if I was in that malnourished, PTSD, captive sort of state.
Violence-based human power structures on either side of the South African racial divide (whether mafia or military) were equally willing to dissect a human being to gain better weapons. It was totally classic "I want a bigger gun" human nature, shown to be independent of race.
But my absolute favorite "human nature is only human" moment was at the very end of the film. The gifted, brave engineer from outer space and his plucky, genius child finally manage to get the spaceship working... And they abandon ALL of the remaining refugees and use it to run away as fast as they can!
Not so much as a message of hope, a familiar alien song or a promise of return is broadcast. No nearby friends or strangers are offered a lift. The father and son duo just steal the ship and run.
I love this movie.
As an afterthought:
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that this SAME punchline is delivered just as well by lots of human-subject research studies AND by some of the most interesting, frequently glossed-over parts of American history.
I felt like District 9 gave two of my favorite academic subjects a big hug and a conspiratorial wink. It's a very warm and fuzzy feeling.