The Inevitable Downfall Of Neill Blomkamp's Movies

Upon the release of District 9, it seemed like director Neill Blomkamp was on top of the world. Adapting his short film, with the help of Peter Jackson, into one of the biggest sci-fi movies of the early 2000's gave him the pedigree to do almost anything he wanted. Though his next several outings like Chappie and Elysium made it seem like Blomkamp might be a one hit wonder. After several disappointing short films, and one studio feature in Gran Turismo, it seems Neill Blomkamps downfall isn't stopping anytime soon.

#district9 #chappie #neillblomkamp #nerdstalgic

Citations

[rig-zag]

Say what you will about his movies, but Neil Blomkamp has one of the coolest visual styles of any director working today.

[roberttreacy]

I wish Neil Blomkamp and Peter Jackson’s Halo film came to fruition.

[milkiassamuel]

District 9 still remains as one of the most underappreciated sci-fi films I have ever witnessed

[WiredLife]

I’m glad that _Gran Turismo_ gave Neill Blomkamp the much-needed opportunity to show he can be a journeyman director for the time being.

[bloodbane]

Loved District 9 and Chappie. The dude has great vision, but he just needs a good codirector or writer that can bring his ideas into the long form. I think he’s still got a ton of potential. Hopefully he gets another chance at big screen sci-fi.

[JuanVisser]

People would've rated Elysium much higher if it came out before District 9. The expectation was too high and too specific let's be honest.

[adamsvette]

District 9, chappie, and elysium are some of the best sci-fi movies of our time.

And the best part was they were original movies. Not remakes of some movie from 30 years ago that was already done well.

[wizzleuno]

I haven't seen anything by blomkamp that I didn't love, this is just producer's and studios trying to blacklist him, with how many films have lost 100's of millions and still get terrible sequels how is it blomkamp has tripled and quadrupled profits and is seen as a problem I ain't having it

[JeremysPointOfView]

Let me say this. They keep giving Zach Snyder boat loads of money to make his absolute slop 💩 films. And yet blompkamp is treated like a one hit wonder has been. Even Chappie and Elysium are better than anything Snyder has done. I like watchmen, but god Snyder ego is off the charts. Also his scripts and plot hole filmed movies are just… painful at best. Blompkamp is the man and deserves more opportunities at making bigger budget films

[Seb_Falkor]

He's got ambitious original ideas. The exact opposite of what Hollywood wants. If it isn't a reboot, sequel, or something braindead then nobody will take a chance on it.

[MontegomeryLoL]

Huh, first time I've ever heard of flash in the pan being a term for "repeating with no result". To me it's always been a close cousin to "One hit wonder", referring to something that briefly seemed to shine very brightly only to vanish just as quickly.

Edit: Yeah, the "repeats" definition doesn't show up in Merriam-Webster or other big dictionaries. I wonder if it's a local colloquialism, because I'm struggling to find anything online that matches it.

[Brownaut]

I really wish he stuck to his original District 9 film and made a sequel.

[russallen]

Chappie made me cry, i don't know what you're talking about

[fnsix]

All three movies cemented Sharlto Copley as one of my favourite actors

[Devil-Made]

“Something that repeats over and over with no results?” What the hell? Where did you dig up that definition of flash in the pan? It doesn’t even make sense!

[MaxIronsThird]

Dude just needs a really good screenwriter to flesh out his characters and help with developing the concepts.
He's very similar to Gareth Edwards.

[veryrarevibes]

I never got the Elysium hate, the movie is action packed with a cool ass plot what’s more to love

[JoseJimenez-ilvs]

The problem with Chappie is that Ninja and Yolandi are insuferable.

[malvoliosf]

The narrator clearly does not understand what the phrase “flash in the pan” means.

Flintlock muskets, an early firearm introduced at the beginning of 17th century, had a small pan that held a small amount of gunpowder. When the trigger was pulled, a piece of flint struck steel, creating a spark. This spark ignited the gunpowder in the pan, which in turn was supposed to ignite the main charge of gunpowder in the barrel, firing the bullet. Sometimes, the powder in the pan would ignite, creating a flash, but the main charge would fail to ignite. This resulted in a “flash in the pan”: a bright flash without the desired outcome of firing the musket. The term began to be used metaphorically to describe something that initially shows promise but fails to deliver lasting results or success. It refers to an event, person, or project that creates a lot of interest or excitement for a short time but ultimately does not fulfill expectations.

Sadly, given his undeniable talent, Blomkamp looks like he will never be more than a flash in the pan, like Michael Cimino, Sofia Coppola, and Renny Harlin.

[spinlok]

He clearly just needs better scripts. His later movies seem much more interested in social commentary than telling a solid story.