District 9 Review

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Director: Neill Blomkamp
Screenplay: Neil Bolmkamp, Terri Tatchell


Starring Sharlto Copley (The A-Team), and Jason Cope
Gross Revenue: $210,816,205 worldwide
Rotten Tomatoes Tomato meter: 91%
IMDB Rating: 8.3

Awards: Nominated for 4 Academy Awards- Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing
    Once in a while, a film comes along that surprises you.  A film that you didn't expect to be good or to amaze you, but ends embedding itself in your heart.  That could be said of District 9.  This movie came out of nowhere last summer, and wowed audiences.  A no-name cast with a first time director, with the cast speaking in African accents.  Oh yeah, and there's aliens.  How could this possibly be a success.  But it was.  Adored by critics and audiences alike, this movie sneaked up on me, and soon became one of my favorite movies of all time.  A unique take on the age old tale of race relations, with some awesome sci-fi action thrown in for good measure.

Image by Lord_Henry via Flickr

      District 9 takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, where an alien ship has been parked above the city for the past 20 years. The alien inhabitants of the ship have been rounded up and placed in "ghettos", and are segregated from the rest of society.  They're houses are beat up and their land is disgusting and piled in trash.  The local government has special teams to help "keep peace" in the ghetto, known as District 9.  They do this by terrorizing the aliens, which they call "prawns", and by enforcing harsh rules and regulations.  One member of the local task force Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley), experiences an "accident" one day while on the job, which will forever change his life and how he views these creatures.
      District 9 is a unique movie.  Not only is it an exciting sci-fi action movie, it is also a thought provoking allegory for race relations.  In the movie, the prawns are treated as outcasts, given their own section of town to live in, segregating them from society.  There's even "Humans Only" park benches, water fountains, and restrooms.  Sound familiar?  By putting familiar concepts such as racial struggles into something completely new, it gives it a fresh face, which makes the point resonate that much more.  I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say that Sharlto Copley's performance required him to play something other then human.  He gives one of the most amazing, and in my opinion underrated, performances I have ever seen.  Wikus Van De Merwe is often the only person on screen.  Copley has to carry the movie, and keep the viewer's interest from fading, and he succeeds.  I He starts out as bumbling doofus, and is often unlikable for his treatment of the prawns.  However, Copley grounds him and humanizes him, while not being too corny.  His transition from clumsy but lovable buffoon to kick-butt anti-hero is remarkable, and a wonder to behold  believe that he was robbed of an Academy Award nomination, and his performance is among the best I have ever seen.  A unique feature of the movie is that it is shot in a quasi-documentary style.  The movie features interviews with various "experts" and even contains shots of news footage.  One more thing that adds to its uniqueness.  The visual effects in this movie are also astounding.  Though the effects look like they were created with a massive budget, it was made on a relatively low 30 million dollars.  This makes it that much more impressive, knowing that these astounding creatures that look 100% believable, were made with Hollywood chump change.  Not only does this movie work as a racial allegory, it also works as an action movie.  The action in this movie is very real, very fast, and very bloody.  It's much more small scale then a movie like Avatar, but that's perfectly acceptable, and is still very exhilarating.  District 9 is such a fantastic movie because it combines an old concept told in a new way, as well as phenomenal acting and exciting action set pieces.

     District 9 is everything I love about movies.  It tells an exciting story with characters you care about, and delivers a message that rings true long after the credits have rolled.  And it also has giant robot vs alien fighting scenes.  What more can you ask from a movie?  In summary, District 9 is about as perfect as movies come these days.  A racial allegory disguised as a sci-fi action documentary.  Smart, exciting, and emotionally gripping, it will surprise you every step of the way.  Highlighted by the one of the smartest scripts and one of the most exhilarating lead performances in years, District 9 is a modern masterpiece.  I love this movie with a passion, and it is easily in my Top 10 movies of all time.  I recommend this movie for people who likes movies, because if you do, then you will love this one.  10/10.  Perfection.
Wikus Van De Merwe: [Picks up silver canister] This is an amazing find! You see it's got the marking there of... It's definitely Alien, but it, it isn't a weapon. However I still don't trust it.