Thursday, September 23, 2010

District 9 (2009)


Introduction

I kept seeing benches at bus stops with a strange icon telling me that the bench was for humans only. I thought it was for a videogame of some kind. When I finally started to see ads for "District 9" I was even more curious. I finally got around to watching the film and the memory of the benches made me snicker. It was only too appropriate.

Summary

Earth is finally visited by aliens, and land in South Africa. They are brought to earth and end up becoming a type of second class citizen, even though the technology on the ship has helped humans. Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is in charge of moving the undesirable aliens from their current slum of District 9 to an all new ghetto. Some of the aliens resist moving, and during a struggle Wikus is injured by an alien device. Now it appears that Wikus is slowly mutating into some kind of hybrid human/alien. Desperate for a cure, he becomes a hunted man, on the run from government agents, gangs, and a mysterious alien. It is obvious that his fate is tied to the people of "District 9".

Good Points

  • Sharlto Copley is superb in the part, creating a believable character
  • The world of the film is excellently realized, with believable technology and aliens
  • The actions sequences are intense and executed very well

Bad Points

  • The documentary aspect of the film is distracting in places
  • Pacing is a bit off in the first half
  • Some of the more violent sequences may disturb viewers

Overall

This type of movie is rare, a science fiction film that fuses high-octane action with interesting ideas. It makes for excellent entertainment that you can talk about after it’s done. Copley really sells his role and that combined with special effects that go for realistic over flashy, and you've got a movie worth checking out.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 5

Music: 3

Acting: 5

Script: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total: 4

Curious about a full review, send me an email and I'll make additional thoughts to this review.

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