MovieChat Forums > Terra (2009) Discussion > the Terrans were too cute. But what if t...

the Terrans were too cute. But what if they weren't?

posted 14 years ago by cddi
5 replies | jump to latest

I liked the movie, and I liked the Terrans. And I didn't like the General's extremist method.

When the battle started, I was rooting for both species. That they'd cripple each other just enough to get them to talk and agree on something beneficial for both.

But I was wondering - what if the Terrans weren't all the cutesy and nice?

What if they were all monster-looking (to us humans at least), larger, and stronger than the humans, where a human would stand no chance against one of them in un-armed combat? (think of the Prawns in District 9, but meaner and stronger)

And the only weakness the Terrans have versus the Humans, is that they are technologically inferior compared to the Humans?

That probably would have changed how I felt for the Terrans from the start. Heck, I probably would have sided with the General and wanted to wipe them off from the start too! Does that make me a hypocrite?

What about you? Would making the Terrans monsters have changed how you felt for them? (regardless of whether you liked them from the start or not)

[–] AndromedaRoach 14 years ago

I dunno, I thought the realistic District 9 aliens were more appealing than the uber-cartoony Terrans :-P It's like comparing a real bird to Tweety Bird, the real thing's cuter to me.

"Positive Portrayal of a Cockroach" Award Recipient: WALL-E. The cockroach is a noble beast.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] scofthe7seas 14 years ago

There's a fantastic line in a song in Beauty and the Beast that goes,
"We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us."
And I think that goes very well with your statement, and even the message of the movie. They HAD to make them cute in order to get average Joe to sympathize..
To the above person (beflin) I think the statement, "Desperation is no excuse for atrocity." fits perfectly..

[–] phantom_pixie 11 years ago

I liked the Prawns in District 9, I thought they were cute.
But it's in the eyes of the beholder. I don't think the humans thought of the Terraians as "cute". Just creepy, with big eyes and flatworm like features.

X ~We are the people our parents warned us about

[–] Monk_Drunk 11 years ago

It's worth noting that despite the creepy insect-like appearance of District 9's Prawns, they copped out a bit by giving them two very large emotive eyes that makes it a lot easier for humans to relate to them. Imagine if they had a cluster of beady little compound eyes instead. Might have been a lot harder for people to empathize with them.