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[TacticalFox88]

I was watching my Blu-Ray copy of District 9, and my mind cannot comprehend at how fucking FANTASTIC the CGI is. It was almost like seeing Jurassic Park for the first time. I mean look at this:

How was this done on its budget? I kept thinking to myself "That looks so fucking real!" Not even Avatar's CGI impresses me as much D9. And to add it's a great film to boot.

 

[Takao]

District 9's CG looks nice in stills, but really in motion. I remember being impressed at the theatre, and then paying closer attention to it on DVD and noticing how off, and pasted over everything felt.

 

[wwm0nkey]

How was this done on its budget? I kept thinking to myself "That looks so fucking real!" Not even Avatar's CGI impresses me as much D9. And to add it's a great film to boot.

Thats because it was real

 

[Dan]

District 9's CG looks nice in stills, but really in motion. I remember being impressed at the theatre, and then paying closer attention to it on DVD and noticing how off, and pasted over everything felt.

Huh, no. Still looks amazing in motion.

 

[valkillmore]

Ya know what, man? Your comment about Avatar's CG not being as impressive as District 9's? I agree with you. It's not how fantastical it looks, or the volume of it that makes one better than the other. It's the implementation and the emotional resonance you're dealt with, and the presentation as a whole. Avatar left me feeling exhausted due to fatique. District 9 left me exhausted, emotionally. That movie was devastating in it's visceral, gritty, almost tangible world it creates. Totally believable yet obviously fictional. Same can't be said of Avatar. If Avatar is movie confection, District 9 is a steak dinner.

 

[XMonkey]

It can be very inconsistent at times, but given their budget it was impressive.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Looks good when the prawns look dirty - like most CG. When they're lit harsher it doesn't hold up quite as well. But it is indeed phenomenal looking, especially given the budget.

That said, better than Avatar? Lulz.

 

[SephCast]

30 million dollar budget. Amazing.

 

[Foreign Jackass]

Too bad the movie was dumb as shit.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

It's like someone set some kind of crazy special effects challenge for the FX team.

Producers:
"So you are going to make visuals effects of quality of more typical $150 million dollars films.....

......at only 1/5 the budget."



FX Team:

 

[Solo]

Fooking pru-awns man

 

[LaserBuddha]

Too bad the movie was dumb as shit.

Foreign Jackass
Member
(Today, 09:13 PM)
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I'll certainly never get tired of self-important people forgoing a valid criticism in favor of achieving inaccuracy via extremes. Ahh, the imaginary binary world of the pretend critic...

 

[lush]

I was watching my Blu-Ray copy of District 9, and my mind cannot comprehend at how fucking FANTASTIC the CGI is. It was almost like seeing Jurassic Park for the first time. I mean look at this:

[IMG*]http://images3.blu-ray.com/reviews/2263_15.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG*]http://images.blu-ray.com/reviews/2263_19.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG*]http://images3.blu-ray.com/reviews/2263_1.jpg[/IMG]

How was this done on its budget? I kept thinking to myself "That looks so fucking real!" Not even Avatar's CGI impresses me as much D9. And to add it's a great film to boot.

This is a statement I can get behind.

 

[wenis]

Looks good when the prawns look dirty - like most CG. When they're lit harsher it doesn't hold up quite as well. But it is indeed phenomenal looking, especially given the budget.

That said, better than Avatar? Lulz.

get your eyes checked bro-ham. aesthetically and conceptually District 9 shits all over avatar.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

get your eyes checked bro-ham. aesthetically and conceptually District 9 shits all over avatar.

BUT THE PRETTY COLORS. THE FLOWERS.

 

[Neuromancer]

Too bad the movie was dumb as shit.

Settle down, Beavis.

 

[Despera]

It's like someone set of some kind of crazy special effects challenge for the FX team.

Producers:
"So you are going to make visuals effects of quality of more typical $150 million dollars films.....

......at only a 1/5 the budget."



FX Team:

Fixed.

 

[DaMan121]

The Mech and general weaponry scenes are amazing, the Prawns themselves were average to above average imo.

 

[pnjtony]

I agree with OP. Watching Avatar I was very aware that everything was CG and fake. it looked really nice, but in more of a cartoon way. District 9 looked real. I felt like I was looking at physical animatronics or puppets or something. According to IMDB though, only the Pawns on the operating tables were puppets/real.

I prefer the CGI to enhance the storytelling and not solely BE the story, as with Avatar. I don't think anyone was praising Avatar for it's story but District 9 was really original, yet familiar. I was pleased.

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

It's like someone set some kind of crazy special effects challenge for the FX team.

Producers:
"So you are going to make visuals effects of quality of more typical $150 million dollars films.....

......at only 1/5 the budget."



FX Team:

FX team claims it will take a $150 million budget and a year of work -> do it in weeks and take a long vacation

 

[TacticalFox88]

Looks good when the prawns look dirty - like most CG. When they're lit harsher it doesn't hold up quite as well. But it is indeed phenomenal looking, especially given the budget.

That said, better than Avatar? Lulz.

Besides Pandora itself, name me one creation in Avatar that touches the Aliens in D9

 

[smokeymicpot]

Movie is awesome. Weta are gods at what they do.

 

[JGS]

Disagree. Looks great for the budget, but came away less than impressed overall.

The headshots were pretty good though.

It probably would have helped if I liked the movie.

 

[bangai-o]

its only 2 years. How old is Starship Troopers?

 

[scitek]

Good CG in D9, but I'm still only amazed by Davey Jones in the Pirates sequels.

 

[Foreign Jackass]

Foreign Jackass
Member
(Today, 09:13 PM)
Reply | Quote

I'll certainly never get tired of self-important people forgoing a valid criticism in favor of achieving inaccuracy via extremes. Ahh, the imaginary binary world of the pretend critic...

Thanks for quoting my username. That's almost as smart as making a movie about the apartheid and ending it with a transformers fight.

 

[LaserBuddha]

Besides Pandora itself, name me one creation in Avatar that touches the Aliens in D9

I don't want to get into this debate really, but dirty/dusty insectoids are "easier" than a lot of what's in Avatar. The aliens in Avatar are arguably a bigger achievement than anything in D9, even if they have the deck stacked against them when it comes to the end result being believable, due to things like the uncanny valley.

For an example, look at any recent PC game with high-end visuals, and notice how much more "real" everything in the game looks compared to the humans in the game.

ending it with a transformers fight.

Riiiiight....

 

[K.Sabot]

D9 was my first and only blueray release I have bought.

Still amazing in HD.

 

[Meier]

D9 is one of the most impressive cinematic achievements I've ever seen. Just an amazing production.

 

[T.M. MacReady]

Thanks for quoting my username. That's almost as smart as making a movie about the apartheid and ending it with a transformers fight.

Oh, it's about apartheid? I thought it was just a rip off of the Incredible Hulk set around an atmosphere that vaguely alludes to apartheid. Oh, nevermind, it is.

 

[Flavius]

Yep, yep, and yep...not the gaming side, but such a fucking shame dude + WETA did not get to make dah Haloz.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

get your eyes checked bro-ham. aesthetically and conceptually District 9 shits all over avatar.

Yeah, must be my shoddy eyes.

Saying that D9's CG is more impressive when the entire world that they inhabit in Pandora doesn't exist is goddamn ridiculous.

But if we're going to get down to faces, when it comes to watching them in motion, there is no comparison.

You can try to deny Avatar's story all you like, but to deny its achievement in visual effects is borderline retarded.

 

[Jack Scofield]

I felt way more empathy for the "ugly" prawns in District 9 than I did for any of the "human-like" Navi in Avatar. Making the Navi so human-like was such a lazy design decision. "But how will people feel sorry for them if they don't look like us?" Right...

EDIT: Goddamn, now we have that dude jerking off James Cameron again. For fucks sake.

 

[sadaiyappan]

I like how the main character metamorphs into an alien.

 

[JGS]

The water Neytiri is drinking from that plant looks better than the "prawns".

 

[Foreign Jackass]

Oh, it's about apartheid? I thought it was just a rip off of the Incredible Hulk set around an atmosphere that vaguely alludes to apartheid. Oh, nevermind, it is.

Very well said.

People can call me Beavis or troll if they want, but I've been pretty vocal in the past about how that movie (and its hype, but not just the hype) just sets expectations really high in the start, where it looks like it will actually be about something, and then devolves in some kind of Hulk-type action movie. It just pains me to see it going to great lengths to destroy the suspension of disbelief it tried so hard to establish in the first act.

It's really a dumb, dumb movie. I got zero tolerance for dumb movies that think they're smart. District 9 was a pretty frustrating experience for me, and I went into great details in the official thread why. No need to go back on it. Visuals aged very well, content didn't. End of my story.

It reminds me of The Fifth Element in some ways. A trite, boring movie set in an exciting setting that loses its opportunity to be about something and ends up not even being great entertainment.

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

Has there been any traction on a D9 Sequel.

Loved this movie.

 

[Jimrpg]

District 9 had such a great premise to begin with... yet when it came to developing the story it just became a random action movie....

very disappointing... and as for the aliens - was thinking throughout the movie how unattractive they were... i mean the design just wasn't for me... it was ur 'typical' alien

It's really a dumb, dumb movie. I got zero tolerance for dumb movies that think they're smart. District 9 was a pretty frustrating experience for me, and I went into great details in the official thread why. No need to go back on it. Visuals aged very well, content didn't. End of my story.

this.

and you know why - coz it was a back of the envelope idea... and they spend oh 5-10 days couldn't think of a great story but made the movie anyway.... u know great stories take ages to write... take ages to develop... thats what people don't understand.... now all people do is spend 'x' amount of time on story, 'x' amount of time doing something else... and the final product can just 'be'.... with a bit of luck and a experienced director who knows the in and outs you might get a great movie, possibly an amazing movie...

look at inception - took him 10 years to write... there's so many great ideas or concepts in that movie... he's even developed the rules of the world... i doubt he did that over 5 days... and even though the execution of inception is slightly flawed - possibly due to limited shooting time or whatever... its still an amazing masterpiece and just great movie to watch.

 

[bengraven]

I was so sure D9 would bring more big budget gritty/real sci-fi to the screen.

Maybe next year.

 

[MidnightCowboy]

I want a sequel so badly. Really one of my favorite action movies ever.

 

[pestul]

Some people are missing the point of the OP.. there are times when D9 looks *real* as in not CG at all (possibly animatronic like) whereas Avatar always looks like CG. I wouldn't take away from the artistic accomplishment there.. but it just doesn't look *real* like our dirty world.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I was so sure D9 would bring more big budget gritty/real sci-fi to the screen.

Maybe next year.

Prometheus and Gravity come out next year.

 

[Dark Octave]

I felt way more empathy for the "ugly" prawns in District 9 than I did for any of the "human-like" Navi in Avatar. Making the Navi so human-like was such a lazy design decision. "But how will people feel sorry for them if they don't look like us?" Right...

EDIT: Goddamn, now we have that dude jerking off James Cameron again. For fucks sake.

I know this is 2011 and all, but I'm not sure if focusing a love story around a human and a roach would fly too well.

 

[WillyFive]

It was a notable sight considering the budget, but it was nothing worth mentioning about when I saw it.

It did look really fake when they were showing the ship that crashed on the ground from the TV news, however.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Some people are missing the point of the OP.. there are times when D9 looks *real* as in not CG at all (possibly animatronic like) whereas Avatar always looks like CG. I wouldn't take away from the artistic accomplishment there.. but it just doesn't look *real* like our dirty world.

I don't think anybody missed the point. D9 was filmed in our dirty world and the Prawns never look more realistic (especially not in motion) than the completely unrealistically designed Na'vi.

There are many moments in Avatar when it seems completely real. The first one coming to mind behind the first time we venture into the forest and look through the trees and brushes.

 

[LaserBuddha]

Very well said.

He's not agreeing with you. This thread isn't about scripts/story anyway.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Great technically, shit film. Real shame.

 

[TacticalFox88]

I don't think anybody missed the point. D9 was filmed in our dirty world and the Prawns never look more realistic (especially not in motion) than the completely unrealistically designed Na'vi.

There are many moments in Avatar when it seems completely real. The first one coming to mind behind the first time we venture into the forest and look through the trees and brushes.

Yes, no one's denying that the environment doesn't look real, hell it literally looked like Cameron simply went to a random Brazillian Jungle. We're talking about the animals and characters themselves.

 

[WickedAngel]

Dat Mech.

 

[LaserBuddha]

There are many moments in Avatar when it seems completely real. The first one coming to mind behind the first time we venture into the forest and look through the trees and brushes.

Additionally, some of Neytiri's facial expressions were a highlight to me.