I should begin by apologizing to the many fans of “Avatar.” I know that I have taken several unnecessary shots at that movie over the past few months.
I admit that it isn’t the worst film of all time. It’s merely overrated and over-hyped.
But it certainly does make me a little bitter that a morally simplistic, three-hour action flick is the top grossing movie of all time. And by the time you read this, “Avatar” has probably won a completely undeserved Academy Award for Best Picture.
I promise that I am getting over my resentment of James Cameron, though, and beginning to move on. I swear that I will not turn Max’s View into an anti-“Avatar” support group.
However, I will be taking this one last golden opportunity to attack “Avatar.” I just saw “District 9,” another Best Picture nominee, and I can’t help but compare them.
The two films are remarkably similar!
They are both allegories about humanity’s unfortunate tendency to separate and demonize minority groups. And both pictures rightly expose our nasty history of dehumanizing minorities when it is convenient and using military force to suppress and exploit them when it is in our economic interest to do so.
Both filmmakers use alien races to represent oppressed human minorities in an effort to make their liberal agendas less preachy and more palatable for mainstream audiences.
“Avatar” and “District 9” have incredibly similar agendas. Only “District 9” achieves its purpose with more originality, unpredictability, and entertainment.
“District 9” explores the unfortunate plight of the Prawns: an alien race that is stranded on earth because its space craft stalled just above South Africa.
The Prawns are not well-liked by South Africa’s human inhabitants. Soon the aliens are warded off and forced to live in a Johannesburg shanty-town called District 9, which quickly becomes a crime-ridden slum. The apartheid parallels are unmistakable.
The story begins with the government deciding to forcibly remove the Prawns from the city and place them in a more isolated and better regulated work camp. It is during the nasty evacuation process that the many dark secrets of District 9 are revealed.
“District 9” was made for a tenth of “Avatar”’s budget. But it has ten times the surprises and suspense.
Like “Avatar,” “District 9” does degenerate into a standard, shoot-‘em-up action flick. Unlike the James Cameron blockbuster, though, “District 9” remains interesting to non-action fans because you honestly don’t know how things are going to turn out.
While Cameron’s goal was to dazzle the eyes with innovative special effects, young South African director Neill Blomkamp sets the stage for “District 9” by filming in documentary style. That makes his movie feel realistic and intense, as opposed to cartoonish and boring.
If you’re not into action movies, there is no compelling reason to watch “District 9.” If you’re a fan of the genre, though, “District 9” is a must-see. It’s about as sophisticated as action flicks get.
