Neill Blomkamp, the director of District 9, Elysium and Chappie is back with a series of short films called Oats. The first episode, entitled Raqqa, is available for free on the internet.
A beautiful revenge
Angered at having lost the opportunity to make Alien 5, Neill Blomkamp takes revenge with his series of science fiction short films Oats. The filmmaker had made good progress in the pre-production of Alien 5, but Ridley Scott, as a great egoist, preferred to rush headlong with Alien Covenant to reappropriate his saga. Oats will be an anthology series, composed of experimental shorts, with varied universes, but linked together by a dystopian science fiction atmosphere.
Rakka, an inspired short film
This twenty-minute short film features a land dominated by an alien race in the shape of giant lizards. The latter have annexed the humanity on which they undertake experiments. Through their telekinetic powers, they can intrude into the brains of human beings to control them. Worn by Sigourney Weaver, Rakka offers an impressive aesthetic. Through his few sublime shots, Neill Blomkamp manages to create a grimy and post-apocalyptic atmosphere directly in the vein of his previous works. The aliens remain humanoid and are beautifully materialized by high-flying digital effects.
This little presentation, which we hope will happen very soon, is very intriguing, but also frustrating. Neill Blomkamp does not necessarily manage to give sufficient depth to his story, which appears more like a long trailer or like the first twenty minutes of a feature film. Without any real meaning, the filmmaker places striking scenes one after the other without really creating a scripted continuity. The scenes could be changed, the impact of Raqqa would be the same. The viewer comes out frustrated.
Similarly, its editing exudes small production. Neill Blomkamp, whose sense of editing is no longer to prove, does not manage to breathe a soul into his cutting which appears bland. Fortunately, stunning photography, still and long shots of faces and bodies, slow motion and slow motion, allow a fluidity of image of which he can be proud. Neill Blomkamp is certainly one of the best contemporary filmmakers of his generation.
Thus, Rakka is certainly worth the detour and we will be able to judge this work once the other episodes of Oats are released. Anyway, its universe and photography are of unparalleled beauty, and Alien 5 would certainly have had more cachet than Alien Covenant.
