It’s time writers should read more traditional literature to create strong storylines. Not silly, mindless violent cinematic video-games.

I’ve decided, in short, that I’m interested in what you might have to say, if anything. So I’ve posted this comment using my real email. If you want to contact me for any reason, you can do so at the posted address. Cheers.

The movie absolutely does those things. Did you see the first half hour of the movie? The humans barge into the slum with guns distributing eviction notices. Sure, I get it… humans bad, repressed aliens good. Right? Except what about the scenes where an alien rips apart a soldier for pointing a gun at him, or the scenes where aliens are shown derailing trains and overturning cars? The film clearly makes the point that these extreme measures are necessary, and that creates conflict in the viewer’s mind. “I know I shouldn’t be on their side, cause they have guns, but man these aliens are DANGEROUS.”

You also point out that the film poorly executes the concept of ‘redemption.’ Well, isn’t that kind of part of the point? The film more or less says that from the start, when it says that the people at home watching the crew enter the alien spaceship are expecting “music from heaven”, and then it shows these filthy, contemptible creatures. The rest of the exposition is about humanity’s “buyer’s remorse”, and the overall disappointment of expecting a great and wonderful alien species, maybe the secrets to the universe, answers to life’s questions, and ending up with what are basically humanoid vermin.

These elements, for me, created such a powerful setting that I probably would have liked the movie no matter what happened afterward. But in my opinion the rest of the movie is fantastic also.

I do want to address one more point. You say that the transformation of Wikus is transparent, poorly executed, that he “spontaneously transforms into Rambo.” I disagree. He is loyal to his company, because he wants to be successful, so that he can care for his wife and (presumably) family. This is the case right up to the point where he sees his arm transformed into an alien appendage. How can you say that any change in his character or demeanor is too abrupt when you consider the ramifications of that event? The prospect of his lost humanity? The horrible thought of “what am I becoming?”

And even then, his transformation into “Rambo” isn’t sudden. At first all he wants is an explanation for his condition, hopefully a cure. Then later when they have him test out the guns (under coercion by men with tasers), he resists, becoming increasingly upset, until they finally force him to shoot and kill a Prawn test dummy.

That moment is when he develops empathy for the creatures. After seeing that he is taking on their characteristics, and then being forced to murder one of them in cold blood, he stops seeing them as monsters, at least for the most part. He still retains some of his disgust for them (he tells the Prawn child, “we’re not the same”), but that sentiment fades as he befriends Christopher.

It’s important to note that in the scene where he is forced to test the alien weapons, he realizes the power he has gained from his transformation. He knows that no other human can use these weapons, and he sees the devastation they cause and the strange reverence that his military captors have for them. Even then, he doesn’t “spontaneously transform into Rambo” until the moment when an electric saw is inches from his chest, and the men in the white coats have openly stated their plans to kill him and harvest his organs. With all these factors in play, how can you say that his transformation of character was unrealistic or without “building motivations”?

I have much more to say about this movie, and not all of it is criticism of your review. But I don’t have the time or, frankly, the desire, to fully organize and express my thoughts.

I hope that you have read and considered what I’ve written, and I hope that perhaps it has caused you to reflect again on this movie, one that I feel deserves the highest praise.