One of the really annoying after effects of District 9 being so awesome is that since I've seen it I've been dreaming about how much better this summer's films would have been if only Neill Blomkamp had somehow been able to direct all of them. Transformers 2, Terminator: Salvation and GI Joe were so disappointing and District 9 was so amazing that it's no wonder I can't help but imagine how Mr. Blomkamp would have handled the rest of this summer's biggest releases. Would his low budget, high energy style have helped make GI Joe feel less campy and cheap? Would his abilities wih making special effects look real have helped make Terminator: Salvation's robots look cooler and more deadly? Would Transformers 2 have actually turned out to be a decent film?
Well, as I've been doing some research and trying to get more acquainted with Blomkamp's body of work (I'm a nerd, this is what I do), I've come across some cool youtube clips of stuff he has done which gives us a glimpse of how cool this summer would have been if it had been a 100% Blomkamp summer. Let's begin with Transformers 2.
One of my biggest personal complaints with TF2 (one of the thousands) is that Michael Bay's special effects are overly complicated and all of the robots in the film look the same. Seriosuly, during the big battles I can't tell one Transformer from another. The designs are too convoluted and overly detailed when they don't really have to be. The Transformers were fairly simple and elegant designs in the cartoons. Why couldn't they be more like that in the movie? Well, let's see what Neill Blomkamp would have done with the Transformers.
The majority of Blomkamp's prior work has been as a commercial director. This particular piece is something he did for the Citoren automobile to advertise one of their new vehicles. Is it just me, or does this commercial totally remind you of Jazz from the transformers. And do you notice how the robot actually still looks like the car it transformed from? Name me one Michael Bay robot that can claim the same thing. That's right, you can't. Now just imagine an entire film populated with sleek and simple robot designs like this one. Not only would you be able to tell the robots apart, but it would actually look and feel like you're watching a live-action version of the original series.
Ok, admittedly mocking a Michael Bay film is easier than pointing out how the Star Wars prequels are inferior to the original Star Wars trilogy. To be fair, let's look at another item. This is another commercial Blomkamp did for a robotics company.
I don't know about you, but as I watched that I couldn't help but think of how much cooler a film like Terminator: Salvation would have been with Blomkamp at the helm. Even with a low commercial sized budget, the special effects of the robot look amazing. Just imagine what this guy could accomplish with a blockbuster sized movie budget. It would be beautiful.
Another film I couldn't help but think of as I watched the above video . . . Robocop. Just imagine how cool a Robocop film would be if it dealt with the gritty street level crime a cyborg cop would find himself up against like we see in this video. Robocop is currently getting its own reboot, but sadly Blomkamp isn't directing it. If he did, I bet it would be even more awesome than this clip was.
Ok, finally, let's look at one more thing. What really made District 9 so great was its uniqueness. It was something entirely new that we'd never seen before. It wasn't a remake or reboot. It wasn't a sequel to something. It was a brand new property. Neill Blomkamp isn't just a good director, he's also a capable writer, and District 9 isn't the only thing he can do. This last video is a short film he did called Yellow, which is yet another original story idea he has written.
Artificial intelligence running off and hiding from humans? The robot's makers trying to hunt the unit down and getting their ass kicked by it? Yes please! Can I see more now? Why isn't this a film already? This is another sci-fi franchise just waiting to begin. Sure, it has heavy shades of Blade Runner in it, but it's still a new story that isn't based on adapted material. That's still a rarity these days. I'd definitely go see this if it was in theaters.
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