Neill Blomkamp is a hard nut to crack.
Essentially, he soared onto the silver screen and was embraced by fandom worldwide with his signature big screen project District 9 (2009), a film that I'll admit I was honestly surprised did as well as it did with audiences and critics. I loved it, personally, but I remember thinking it was really two films ideas that, fortunately, worked in spite of its construction: one-half was a clever kinda/sorta mockumentary about this unusual case of First Contact while the second half actually fleshed out a very human tale in the midst of utter genetic chaos. Its finale was surprisingly heartfelt with an ordinary man retaining his humanity despite losing that which made him uniquely human; and the director has long assured fans that he'd be doing a sequel that would resolve the fate suffered by perhaps the most unfortunate United Nations lackey in screen history.
Since then, however, Blomkamp appears to have been pulled in the directions of other projects, ones that have mostly failed to match the level of accomplishment attributed back to District 9. In large part, the storyteller has stayed true to his genre roots with films like Elysium (2013) and Chappie (2015), but it would seem he's lost the edge to push boundaries in such a way that earned him attention and praise from audiences intrigued with the journeys he's taken them upon. I'm well aware that his name -- for a time -- was even floated as a possible savior for the Alien franchise; and, yet, nothing has come down from that franchise other than some lukewarm continuations of what's already been explored before. Sad, but true.
Fortunately, the filmmaker is still toiling away on projects, though the numbers I've looked at involving his Demonic (2021) don't look much better than the SciFi work he's distracted himself with since District 9. Demonic looks to have screened around the world in 2021 (with a limited release in the U.S.), and sadly it only has a basement rating (as of today's date) of 15% on the critical meter at Rotten Tomatoes with a slightly better 18% amongst audiences. The flick retains a 4.2 (out of 10) on the more Average Joe friendly IMDB.com, but I'd argue that's still a bit undercooked for a steward who was once heralded as being one of the up-and-coming voices in genre entertainment.
Now, I don't write any of this to disparage the man. Blomkamp is who he is with or without the support of the likes of me. Personally, I'd love to see what lies ahead with District 9 more than anything else, but a guy's gotta eat so I understand perfectly why he's gone on to other wares as the inspiration has obviously found him. If anything, maybe a return to form is possible with a tale that taps back into what brought him and audiences great joy in the past, and I suggest that might be the better way to go. Continuing down this path -- with successive projects losing the goodwill he's earned from the industry -- might consign him to a dismal fate no writer/director deserves.
Demonic is coming to home video on March 1. Trailer is below. Those of you interested in this sort of fare might give him a pass and check it out.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
Essentially, he soared onto the silver screen and was embraced by fandom worldwide with his signature big screen project District 9 (2009), a film that I'll admit I was honestly surprised did as well as it did with audiences and critics. I loved it, personally, but I remember thinking it was really two films ideas that, fortunately, worked in spite of its construction: one-half was a clever kinda/sorta mockumentary about this unusual case of First Contact while the second half actually fleshed out a very human tale in the midst of utter genetic chaos. Its finale was surprisingly heartfelt with an ordinary man retaining his humanity despite losing that which made him uniquely human; and the director has long assured fans that he'd be doing a sequel that would resolve the fate suffered by perhaps the most unfortunate United Nations lackey in screen history.
Since then, however, Blomkamp appears to have been pulled in the directions of other projects, ones that have mostly failed to match the level of accomplishment attributed back to District 9. In large part, the storyteller has stayed true to his genre roots with films like Elysium (2013) and Chappie (2015), but it would seem he's lost the edge to push boundaries in such a way that earned him attention and praise from audiences intrigued with the journeys he's taken them upon. I'm well aware that his name -- for a time -- was even floated as a possible savior for the Alien franchise; and, yet, nothing has come down from that franchise other than some lukewarm continuations of what's already been explored before. Sad, but true.
Fortunately, the filmmaker is still toiling away on projects, though the numbers I've looked at involving his Demonic (2021) don't look much better than the SciFi work he's distracted himself with since District 9. Demonic looks to have screened around the world in 2021 (with a limited release in the U.S.), and sadly it only has a basement rating (as of today's date) of 15% on the critical meter at Rotten Tomatoes with a slightly better 18% amongst audiences. The flick retains a 4.2 (out of 10) on the more Average Joe friendly IMDB.com, but I'd argue that's still a bit undercooked for a steward who was once heralded as being one of the up-and-coming voices in genre entertainment.
Now, I don't write any of this to disparage the man. Blomkamp is who he is with or without the support of the likes of me. Personally, I'd love to see what lies ahead with District 9 more than anything else, but a guy's gotta eat so I understand perfectly why he's gone on to other wares as the inspiration has obviously found him. If anything, maybe a return to form is possible with a tale that taps back into what brought him and audiences great joy in the past, and I suggest that might be the better way to go. Continuing down this path -- with successive projects losing the goodwill he's earned from the industry -- might consign him to a dismal fate no writer/director deserves.
Demonic is coming to home video on March 1. Trailer is below. Those of you interested in this sort of fare might give him a pass and check it out.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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