Movie: “District 9”
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Rating: Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language.
Release:
Running Time: 1 hr 52 min
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Robert Hobbs… IMDB listing
Verdict:
District 9 is a gripping allegorical tale couched in a frantically-paced action thriller that engages both the mind and eye from the first frame through the last shot. The technical aspects of the movie provide a brilliant wrapping for an emotionally harrowing tale of race relations. It combines thundering chase scenes, shoot-outs ripped straight out of a video game, and a morality tale that would be just as at home in mainstream literary piece. The result is a movie that manages to be both intelligent and exciting – a thinking man’s science fiction movie.
Synopsis:
Over twenty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa’s District 9 as the world’s nations argued over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when a human field operative, Wikus van der Merwe, contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable – he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.
Review:
The Story
Rating: A-
The story’s political resonance is powerful, but, unlike some movies that wield their message like a club, District 9 brandishes its allegorical flourishes lightly, with a Kafka-esque edge of surreality. Though well executed, the story’s trope does suddenly becomes familiar about forty minutes into the movie. In fact, hardcore science fiction fans may find the movie’s second half vaguely reminiscent of a certain old Outer Limit episode. (I won’t spoil the end by saying which episode.) That familiarity doesn’t detract from enjoyment of the movie, however. The movie’s rich political overtones and smart documentary style keep District 9 intellectually engaging while avoiding the
The Cast
Rating: A
The aliens that cross crustaceans with insects into horror-film grotesqueries are certain to go down in history as some of the greatest CGI creations of all time.
Visual Appeal
Rating: A+
Despite a humble US$30 million budget, District 9 is almost pure eye candy.
The Conclusion
Rating: A
District 9 is a hell of a movie that’s worth the price of admission to see it up on the big screen.
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Further Information
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Villie Hodges said
am August 17 2009 @ 12:06 pm
Such interesting look into racism, slavery and the workings of the government all mashed into one…I definitely recommend this movie..!!
District 9 said
am August 19 2009 @ 11:14 pm
Part of the plot sounds, well familiar. An alien slave ship crashes in the desert. That’s Alien Nation, a movie and (later) TV show from about 20 years ago. But this has a huge twist from Alien Nation. The Newcomers are not assimilated, they are kept in slavery. They look less human. Great idea.
Sean Weatherby said
am August 25 2009 @ 10:51 pm
That new lead actor they found for District 9 did an amazing job i thought – huge character transition through the course of the movie; sometimes it’s nice to see some new faces and that was definitely the case with this movie
sci-fi said
am August 28 2009 @ 8:36 am
The films was a great dissapointment.
I expected a lot but it only turned out to be an irritating camera-shaking videogame. The plot-line was ridiculous and had great holes.
The biggest crap in 2009!!!
It’s time writers should read more traditional literature to create strong storylines. Not silly, mindless violent cinematic video-games.