Movie Review: District 9

After being inundated this summer with remakes and sequels of other sci-fi franchises, Neill Blomkamp's District 9 comes around and brings a refreshing take on the genre of sci-fi. Adding a setting not seen before in any science fiction film and also a story so compelling, exciting, and fresh that it will have you emotionally drained by the time the film is over, District 9 grabs the viewer and never lets go.

The setting is Johannesburg, South Africa. A typical looking city with skyscrapers in the sky and taxis on the ground. However there is something else looming above this city. A huge UFO that looks more like a mother ship than the classic saucer shaped UFO's seen by countless eye witnesses from Air Force personnel to corn farmers. This UFO has not moved since it's arrival over Johannesburg. The beginning of the film is the only part of the film that kind of felt out of place to me. The audience of course has to be up to date on what is happening and this is done through interviews with experts who have emerged since the arrival of the aliens and people living in Johannesburg and the slums surrounding it. It is these quick interviews that for some reason did not pull me in as it should have.

In part I think it was due to the music that was being played in the background while all of these interviews and images were being displayed. However minor this may seem, I felt that it really made it seem like the music was trying to add more dramaticism to these scenes and interviews instead of letting the subject matter speak for itself. There are some scenes in this "catch-up" opening section of the movie that are truly amazing. Because I don't want to include any big spoilers I will not give an example of these. These opening 10 minutes or so are the only part of the movie where I felt distanced from the the setting and characters. Maybe this was a good thing since it was such a contrast from what was about to occur throughout the rest of the movie.

After the introduction to the events that have transpired up until the present we are taken on a journey that is at times exciting, at time sad, and at times terrifying. Before seeing the film I already had preconceived notions on what the film would be like. Little did I know that most of what I had thought was wrong. Again I do not want to get too much into the story because doing so would ruin the surprise and wonder that I first experienced by not knowing what was truly in store. The characters, both alien and human, put on such a great performance that it honestly feels real. I later found out why the human characters, especially the main character, were so believable after watching an interview with the director. He said that a lot of the dialogue was improv. They had a bunch of lines and points in the script that they had to touch on, but the rest was made up on the spot to give it a more realistic sound and man did that work. I found myself laughing a lot at the beginning at the way that the main character and other humans were treating the aliens and what they were saying to them. At first you see these aliens as just disgusting dumb, yet dangerous, creatures. And that is exactly how the humans treated them.

The movie was made on a budget of 30 million. These days that is pretty cheap for a science fiction film of this magnitude. How they were able to pull off such realistic looking aliens and other effects I have no idea. But you were able to see so much emotion coming from the aliens faces that without even reading the subtitles when they spoke you could easily tell how they were feeling. There were some real emotional scenes involving the aliens and just being able to see the look in their eyes made you more attached to the character. I commend what Neill Blomkamp and the team behind the film has done with the budget that they had to work with.

All in all this is my favorite movie of the summer. At first I didn't think anything would be able to top Star Trek, but for me this movie did it. I think bringing the aliens to such an unruly human environment that is Johannesburg added a sense of of familiarity yet at the same time it invoked a feeling of the unknown. This is in part due to it being in a setting on Earth during present day, but set in a part of Earth that here in America we are not used to. So having aliens living in that kind of environment only adds to the anxiety that one feels while being introduced into the kind of setting.

This is a must see movie for any sci-fi fans, action fans, or just fans of good cinema. I also suggest not waiting until it comes out on DVD and Blu Ray because seeing it in a theater is the best way to experience the film. Also I must warn that the film is definitely a hard R. There may possibly be more "fucks" used in this movie than in Casino, but that may be stretching it. Also there is gallons of blood to be shed. This movie is not for the squeamish. GO SEE DISTRICT 9!

Score: 5 out of 5
Confused about our scoring system? Read this explanation.

As an added bonus I've added the great interview that Alex over at Firstshowing.net did with Neill Blomkamp. There are a few minor spoilers, but nothing that will ruin the movie at all. I suggest coming back after you watch the movie to watch this interview. Mainly because some of your burning questions about how the film was made and Blomkamp's ideas behind it will be answered. You can watch it before you see the film, but I'd suggest watching it afterward.

Neill Blomkamp Interview - District 9 from FirstShowing.net on Vimeo.