Movie Review: ”District 9″ from Michael McVey, Skiffleboom.com

Movie Review:

Sharlto Copley as Wikus Van De Merwe in District 9

District 9
By Michael McVey
This is why I go to the movies. Co-writer and director Neill Blomkamp’s debut film is an outstanding amalgam of documentary-style realism,thought-provoking constructs, and lots of hardcore, bloody action. Independently produced by Peter Jackson, the film delivers these elements in the guise of science fiction. And like all great sci-fi, the world of District 9 is a prism through which we see our own selves today.

The premise: 28 years ago, an alien ship arrives suddenly over Johannesburg, South Africa. Despite having advanced technology, the alien inhabitants are malnourished refuges, like worker bees without a queen. Unable to return home, they are met with open hostility from a fearful populace and segregated from human society in a crime-ridden slum called District 9…

The filmmakers make bold choices with casting, languages, locations, narrative structure – all of which succeed in creating something truly original. We feel the world the characters inhabit,just as we feel the characters plight, right up to the jaw-dropping, killer climax.

While not perfect (and definitely not for all tastes), this is an incredibly entertaining film. It features first-rate FX, liberal doses of intense action, and it has a lot on its mind – it is great in the way “Mad Max” and “Aliens” are great. This may end up being my favorite film of the year.

September 8, 2009 | Categories: Film Reviews, Uncategorized | Tags: action, africa, aliens, allegory, apartheid, best, Blomkamp, copley, District 9, emigrant, film, gory, Irish, Jackson, McVey, Michael, movie, Neill, of, Peter, review, sci fi, sharlto, skiffleboom, south, year | Leave A Comment »