Makes you wonder about human nature,,,& D10!

Rating: 9/10 (15 August 2009)

The set up was somewhat dry, but the 2nd half made up for it, and I perked up when the documentary's commentators started referring to Wikus in the past tense. When the transformation commenced, I immediately thought of Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly" with the fingernails, teeth, and skin falling off. Except Wikus doesn't lose his 'humanity' or his mind by the end the way Brundle-fly does. Instead, both of those elements grow stronger as the film progresses. It's weird. Wikus becomes more 'human' as his body becomes less human. There were gross happenings (e.g. people are left liquefied, in chunks, & other blender settings). These scenes are broken up with gawky-Wikus behavior like when he idiotically knocks out Christopher after he's told it will take 3 years to change him back; then proceeds to jump into an alien cockpit that he doesn't know how to drive ("No buttons!"). The aliens aside from appearance (you be the judge) they were diverse in behavior like humans: Some were determined & intelligent, some were vicious, some were bottom-feeders, and some made dumb decisions. Imagine aliens coming to Earth & they judged the human race based on one American town—yikes. Gosh, there are governments that make some wicked weapons, but I wouldn't automatically link that with superior judgment/intelligence/tight teamwork. This film is memorable, especially Wikus & his sociopathic hunter. It made me speculate and wanting more-->the unanswered questions (why didn't the refugee aliens just vaporize us why did they run out of gas over Johannesburgwhy did they run out of gas at all if their weapons are so sophisticated-wouldn't they know better to keep spare fuelwhere is CJ Jr's mamawhat's keeping the mothership suspended, earth's magnetic fields?...is it really a mothership or a penal colony-exiled from their homewhat's with the cat foodetc.). But I figure the way it ended, we'll find out IF CJ comes back in 3 years in District 10 with "help". I wonder if Wikus will take him up on the offer to 'fix him' by then. -PS- *It's like when I speak to my Nana in English & she responds in French, and I respond in English... **THANK GOODNESS they didn't show us how "interspecies prostitution" worksgeez, they might be saving that for sequel too though. ***The xenophobia, voodoo, the beatings & lab research are NOT pretty, but DON'T mire the film in oppression, explicitly give a S. African history lesson, or make it preachy.
~Jo