Ok the challenge with this review is going to be how to get you to want to go watch the film without giving anything away.
District 9 is the feature film debut of director Neil Blomkamp. Blomkamp was originally going to direct the Halo movie adaptation but after that fell thought Peter Jackson suggested that Blomkamp take his short film Live in Josburg and expand the story.
The basic preemies of the movie is Alien Nation meets South Africa Apartheid. The aliens called Prawns have come to Earth in a delict space ship and are now living in a cordoned off area of Johannesburg called District 9. At the start of the movie the MNU is preparing to evict the Prawns from District 9 and move them farther away from Johannesburg to District 10. If you want a full plot synopsis there is one up on Wikipedia, but I would highly recommend that you DO NOT read it before watching the movie. District 9 is the first movie since The Matrix that I’ve watched where I didn’t have a basic idea how the movie was going to develop. And, that is one thing I have to get props to the movie for. The trailers were done top notch, they gave you enough of a view of the world of the movie that you get interested in wanting to watch it, without giving anything away.
Visually the movie is a a bit of a mash up. Shot mainly in Blomkamp’s native South Africa it starts out like a documentary with interview of people who are clearly talking about a past events. The point of view during the first act also changes often from hand held shot to what is made to look like security camera footage. While the POV switching still existed in the second two acts it is used a lot less. The final act overall gets a bit cliche but is fun.
District 9 was made for only $30 million but it doesn’t show it. The visual effects are top notch especially when you remember that Prawns are done purely cg and where never on set. Part of what helped keep costs down was that there are no major actors used in the filming. Most of the cast is South African even the main charter Wikus van der Merwe is played by Sharlto Copley is a South Africa native. Copley also apprehend in Live in Josburg.
Overall I would have to say District 9 is a must see.
I’ve not a seen a movie in many years that is so fresh and pure and interesting on so many levels. I was totally surprised by this one. I may go see it again. AWEOME!!!!