District 9

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James
Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: The alien race that was stranded on Earth when their ship broke down have been housed in District 9, in Johannesburg, South Africa. A bureaucrat (Sharlto Copley) is investigating illegal actions in District 9 when a strange alien substance begins to transform his DNA. The government abducts him to do tests on him with the intent of using his DNA to jumpstart their alien weapons program. He escapes, and seeks refuge in the one place left to help him- the alien shantytown District 9.

Review:

Tim: Who says there is no creativity left in Hollywood? Writer/director Neill Blomkamp (who yes, is a bit outside of Hollywood) delivers one of the most creative, original, impressive movies in recent years. Everything about this movie feels fresh and unique- from the documentary-type opening, to the idea of humans and aliens coexisting, to the setting of Johannesburg, South Africa (how refreshing is it to see an alien movie not set in the United States?), every aspect of this movie reminds you that you've never seen anything quite like this. That is amazing.

I love the way this movie looks. For a small film, it used its budget wisely- this never feels like a cheap film. The special effects are, in fact, astounding. The aliens are so realistic and life-like that you will not question for a second that they are "real". This movie would have fallen apart if we didn't believe this world Blomkamp was creating. The special effects help this immensely. In fact, many of the scenes are so realistic that they are difficult to watch. The transformation of Wikus is especially gruesome in parts. I also loved the look and feel of the alien craft. There is something so chilling about the enormous alien ship, suspended in the air over Johannesburg, unable to move or fly away home. This is one of the film's most iconic images.

One of the many strokes of brilliance in this movie was the effort to make this small movie feel big, yet intimate at the same time. The character of Wikus is interesting, because at first, I didn't like him much at all. However, as the movie is chiefly about him, we quickly come to sympathize and eventually, root for Wikus. This is mostly because of the stunning performance of Sharlto Copley in his first real acting role. You would never know thi, because Copley is terrific. He is believable as the bumbling bureaucrat, believable as his transformation begins to take place, and even believable as he becomes a man with nothing to lose, determined to fix himsel at all costs. He was outstanding.

One of the things that some find fault with, but I actually liked, was switching the feel of the movie halfway through. The beginning of the film is mostly a documentary about the aliens and Wikus' involvement in searching for illegal contriband as they work to evict the aliens from District 9. However, halfway through, Blomkamp mostly drops the documentary scenes, and the movie becomes an exciting action thriller. I loved both of these different qualities to the movie, and I thought they worked complimentary to each other. The documentary scenes create this believable world, fascinating the audience with this what-if scenario. And then, once we've bought into this world, the action and suspense pound us into submission. The action sequences are pretty amazing. It is always fun to see alien technology and weaponry used on the "bad" guys.

District 9 is a great movie because it tells a completely unique and fascinating story in its own way. It beautifully mixes documentary style footage with some very impressive special effects and jaw-dropping action sequences. At a time when it feels like sequels and prequels are the Hollywood norm, it is so refreshing to see an original movie about an original concept that is made exceptionally well. I was excited to see this movie, and it surpassed my expectations. This is a great movie and one of my favorites of 2009.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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