When the film started I thought, "Oh, this is a cool idea. A read on racism through the filter of science fiction. It didn't take long for that idea to devolve into yet another movie in which some nerdy white guy has to show up and save all the helpless black people. What's worse...the entire story arch turns into a first-person-shooter video game. Neill Blomkamp (writer/director) grew up in South Africa and was obviously very moved by the atrocities of apartheid. Unfortunately, he is far too young and not quite smart enough to process those experiences into a screenplay that offers any legitimate or respectful lessons about racism. Rather, Mr. Blomkamp is clearly under the impression that it takes some white every-man who has experienced a change of heart to save all the oppressed people of color who can't seem to figure out how to save themselves.
I am so tired of seeing movies in which every single black person in the movie is either a criminal, a servant or a helpless victim that needs some white, freshly-moralized hero to save them. Yes, a great movie experience for two-dimensional young white guys...but it's a painfully tired formula for the rest of us. It's not only an insult to my intelligence, but also completely unrealistic. This is not the world I live in. It is a dynamic created by white people who are completely unable to see their own racist world view.
Monday, August 17, 2009
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