District 9

Going into the cinema I had mixed expectations as I only saw a handful (yet interesting) posters and only one trailer. I only heard a handful of reviews yet all of them came from this site. Well, I decided to hedge my bets and walk in anyway. And I'm glad I did.

"District 9" is a wallop of a film that is also one of the year's very best films. It perfectly presents the balance of human emotions and CGI mastery. The acting is top notch and believable, and the characters are so realistically presented; even the protagonist is deeply flawed, and during some scenes I wonder who should I root for.

The story is well told; a refreshing, unique and somewhat original scenario, one that we've never experienced for quite some time. The atmosphere is bleak, dark and realistic, actually making me believe this thing can actually happen here on Earth.

The special effects are excellently rendered, and actually give more than their money's worth (Only US$ 30 million! And the effects were amazing, as great as anything WETA has done before!). The creature effects are so realistic we could not tell the difference. Thanks to none other than WETA for this amazing feat, and I hope they get an Oscar for visual effects. But the practical effects are believable too, as per the engaging and thrilling (and also non-stop) action sequences in the film's second half. And boy, those weapons are awesome! Special mention goes out to the fluid editing. Example, first half of the film works like a docu-drama, and the second half becomes a hybrid of Black Hawk Down, and we don't notice the change of pace. It's that brilliant.

Peter Jackson really knows how to pick a good story and director when he sees one. And I want to shake Neill Blommkamp's hand if I meet him. He is certainly a talented director, and one to look out for in the future. (P.S. If that Halo movie is still going on, Blommkamp has proved that he is the man for the job) In short, it's an excellent science fiction action film, but not without it's intelligence. It may have a few flaws and very few clichés (these happen near the end of the film) but it is still very solid nonetheless. If there is a sequel, I'll be first in line to see it.

Overall value: 8.5/10

I attended a promotional screening for this with a pretty good attitude towards all the hype that surrounded it. It was not what I expected, it was much better.

Not only were the CGI top notch, but the narrative is driven through a believable plot. Watching this film made me believe that a situation as such had occurred on Earth, and therefore the far fetched notion of an extra terrestrial race visiting us becomes so close to a reality through a story that is so realistically depicted.

District 9 is a beautifully crafted film which shows signs of great promise for being around for a while, a subject talked about by many people. Can't wait to watch this again with my friends = )

This is such an incredibly weird movie that I am not even sure if I can adequately describe it, but I'll try. The film is, through the first half, a mockumentary about a problematic alien problem that will supposedly be happening in the near future. In 2010, an alien ship appears over Johannesburg and just hovers there. When humans eventually decide to cut through the hull, they find the ship packed with over a million aliens--aliens that are starving and look like giant bugs. Well, there seems to be no one in charge and they all are apparently workers who have no real purpose other than to work. When the UN decides to finally do something about it, the aliens are herded into a giant ghetto like those used during apartheid. And, for the most part, they are reviled or exploited--and kept as a permanent underclass.

The film mostly centers around a rather dim civil servant, Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley). He is the leader of an organization sent in to move the bugs to a new facility that also totally sucks--but is away from the humans--who have come to totally distrust and hate them. But, in the process he accidentally infects himself...and where this goes next is just amazingly weird! And, once infected, the film stops being a mockumentary and follows his new life as a wanted man. Why is he wanted, who wants him and what this is all about is just too much for this short review--really.

So let's talk about the film. I used to think that movies like "Happiness of the Katakuris", "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" and "Delicatessen" were weird films, but "District 9" clearly sets a new standard for weird and creative. You simply cannot find anything like it--and it's wonderful to find a film that is this unique. Plus, like good sci-fi, this one is a great allegory with deeper contemporary meaning--with a lot to say about us screwed up humans! By the way, this movie is rated-R and it clearly deserves this. The language is very, very rough but the film is also very gross--with lots of blood, guys, vomiting and the like. It is NOT for a person with a weak stomach or children...seriously...do NOT let the kids see this one! Because of this, although I loved this film and was blown away by it, I also cannot see it as a perfect film--hence my not giving it a 10. It's just unnecessarily adult when it could have been a great film for a much wider audience.

I watched this again after 9 years. Still as impressive as it was back then visually and otherwise. The soundtrack was great. Reminded of how good South African films can be. Check it out if you haven't already

"District 9" is a film I was lucky enough to see in the theater when it first released. The marketing for the movie was remarkably good, posters everywhere meant that before you even entered the theater, you had already been primed to see the "Prawns" as a nuisance, larger and stronger than humans, and probably best kept at a distance. The film's opening and narrative bookends being from the perspective of a documentary of news crew meant that everything felt very lifelike when you saw ads running on TV. As a Sci-fi lover, my interest was primed and pumping as I bought my ticket.

Now, 10 years later, my love for this movie is not as strong and has shifted from my previous reasons for liking it, but nevertheless, this is a film I expect will remain on my shelf for years to come.

"District 9" wowed me in the beginning for many reasons. The first one out of the gate that grabs you is the world building. There are hosts of movies that take similar tacks when it comes to informing the audience about the history or rules of a fantasy, sci-fi, or just slightly left of real, world. Relate everything through news stories that play in the background or are featured in scenes that inform everyone as to what is going on. In fact, this approach is so common that it is considered a crutch by many filmmakers and is classically made fun of in the brilliant "Shaun of the Dead"

It is truly rare to find films which spin a tried and maybe tired device into something fresh and even featured as a part of their film but Neill Blomkamp delivers a fresh look at documentary news coverage as exposition that simply stunned. Not only does the footage seem real, immersive, and present important concepts to audiences, it does so in a way that they are used to receiving information so that when they are presented with personal stories that contradict the news coverage, it causes them to ask questions about those same sorts of stories in their own lives, but more about that later.

The next thing that stood out about the film was the performance of Sharlto Copley ("Chappie") which, essentially, launched his international career. One of the most difficult tasks that a writer, director, or actor faces is to make relatable that which is unrelatable. Taking a character like Wikus, who is blind to his prejudice, complicit activities, and general willful ignorance and turn him into someone for whom we have genuine empathy is the essential role of an artist. To not hide from the way that Wikus allows himself to be stupidly used in the beginning of the film and give him a journey which confronts him with the horrific results of his apathy in a way that leaves us hoping for better for him is the essence of good acting and I say Bravura to Copley for his performance.

The reason that I highlight these two aspects of the film is because they are what I find to be essentially brilliant about the film, yet also what was lost on me about it ten years ago. With the way the film tells its story in two ways: through high level news; stories, documentary footage, and interviews with family and friends of Wikus; as well as on the ground personal interactions; between Wikus and his coworkers, the company, his family, and the Prawns; we end up getting the story from two perspectives.

As a young man, I wasn't asking myself the questions I now ask myself so I only saw the interesting story, the horror of realizing something alien is happening to you, and the thrill of some impressive action sequences especially considering the budget. As an older man I realize that while the film is about these things on the surface, it is also about the difference between what we receive through screens, second hand accounts, and media outlets, as opposed to that which we experience personally.

The film is about perception, propaganda, prejudice, and personal connection. It is about what is real and what is not. Questions like this continue to be begged more and more as our world becomes more saturated, debate if you will for good or ill, with screens, vlogs, stories, commercials, news stories, reality shows, and everything in between. "District 9" is a reminder that while our world has gotten wider with the advent of new technologies there is always the threat that it may not get deeper as it grows in breadth. We must remember that the tactile person to person contact which is the enemy of prejudice requires us to seek specifically for the individual and to see them for who they are as an individual and not just what group they belong to.

The Prawn in this film is a stand in for all of the things we fear at a knee's jerk whether it is the immigrant, refugee, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Communist, Fascist, Snowflake, or Boomer. May we all seek to understand each other more despite the efforts of the powerful to shape our understanding through media.