District 9 (2009)

Director:

Neill Blomkamp

Writers:

Neill Blomkamp (screenplay) &
Terri Tatchell (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You are not welcome here.

Plot:

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Prawn | Refugee Camp | Johannesburg South Africa | Government

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 9 nominations

Cast

Sharlto Copley	...	Wikus Van De Merwe
Jason Cope	...	Grey Bradnam - UKNR Chief Correspondent
Nathalie Boltt	...	Sarah Livingstone - Sociologist
Sylvaine Strike	...	Dr Katrina McKenzie
Elizabeth Mkandawie	...	Interviewee
John Sumner	...	Les Feldman - MIL Engineer
William Allen Young	...	Dirk Michaels
Greg Melvill-Smith	...	Interviewer
Nick Blake	...	Francois Moraneu - CIV Engineer Team
Morena Busa Sesatsa	...	Interviewee
Themba Nkosi	...	Interviewee
Mzwandile Nqoba	...	Interviewee
Barry Strydom	...	Interviewee
Jed Brophy	...	James Hope - Police Officer
Louis Minnaar	...	Piet Smit

MPAA:

Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA | New Zealand

Language:

English | Nyanja | Afrikaans

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45478) | UK:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) (cut) | India:A | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | Mexico:B15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:14 | South Africa:16LV

Filming Locations:

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

At one point during the raid on the MNU lab, the phrase "TETRA VAAL" can be seen printed in black on a white wall. This is the name of the fictional robotics company in Neill Blomkamp's eponymous short film, also set in Johannesburg.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Wikus walks into the Nigerian base, Obesandjo says he has a lot of guts for a white man. But the word he uses for "white man" is the Kiswahili word "mzungu". Kiswahili is widely spoken in East Africa, but not in South Africa or Nigeria.

Quotes:

Christopher Johnson's Son: Fuel goes in here!
Christopher Johnson: That's enough! QUIET!
Christopher Johnson's Son: ...then we fly away.
Christopher Johnson: I said QUIET! We cannot trust him.
Wikus Van De Merwe: What is he saying about the fuel, is this, are you trying to start this thing? He-he. Are you little fookers trying to start this, and get away, ay?
Christopher Johnson: Never mind.
Wikus Van De Merwe: Ha-ha. Yeah, you sneaky fookin' prawns, heh? I knew you Prawns were intelligent.
Christopher Johnson: Too bad. I could have fixed you.
Wikus Van De Merwe: Wha- well well wha what did you say about-about the *fixing*?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: (#8.33)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Die Leeuws (The Lions)

Wow

I caught an early screening of this movie last night. I went into it with high expectations considering the high ratings it has been getting already. My expectations were not high enough however because this film exceeded my them in every way possible.

I will not go far into detail because I would prefer to not spoil anything. This is unlike any sci-fi we have seen in years. Forget Terminator 3 and 4, forget the AVP movies, forget all those laughable sci-fi movies, this film is what we have been waiting for. An original idea, an original concept, brilliantly executed, great CGI, good acting, it just has it all. We have seen many aliens come to earth movies, but this is different, I will not say why though. That is for you to find out when you see it, which I HIGHLY recommend you do.

This movie, quality-wise, matches up with the popular Sci-Fi films we love. The original Alien, the original Predator, The Matrix, Star Wars, etc. While I enjoyed those ones more because they are classics, this one clearly meets the standards we expect today when it comes to quality. A big driving force behind this, in my opinion, is the fact that high esteemed Peter Jackson is behind this project as the producer. After seeing his masterful Lord of the Rings saga, anyone can see that he knows what he is doing.

As far as movies for this year, this is definitely top 5 so far on my list (Up, Star Trek, 500 Days of Summer, HP6, and District 9). Thank you Jackson and Hollywood for finally producing the best Sci-Fi in years. If this movie does not make its way to IMDb top 250 then I will be in awe.

See this movie!