Neill Blomkamp’s original sci-fi adventure hit theaters officially yesterday and I was lucky enough to grab a seat and experience one of the most surprising films of the year. Surprising only because District 9 never came with a billion dollar marketing budget and surprising because before a few weeks ago, nobody really knew what to expect. If you don’t already know how District 9 came to be then you’ll probably want to skip this next section of the review. Neill Blomkamp is a Peter Jackson protege. The young filmmaker and Jackson had originally teamed up to pitch a feature length Halo film that probably would have been in theaters today had it not been for Blomkamp and Jackson’s idea being shot down a few years ago. They apparently pitched the Halo movie to have a similar grainy, realistic feel as District 9 eventually had, but to no avail and they were sent packing. But instead of dropping back and waiting for a new idea to come, Jackson endorsed Blomkamp to finish what he started. Thus, the creation of District 9 and with the exception of this year’s Moon, the only true sci-fi movie to come out of 2009 so far. Sure you could consider flicks like Star Trek sci-fi, but they are usually chalk full of ways to convert regular movie fans into hardcore sci-fi nerds. District 9 is an original story with a mostly original concept that was made for the geek in all of us.
Blomkamp and writer Terri Tatchell assembled the original script and after watching how he married the story together with actual footage of South Africa, unique footage he shot while on location and some seamless visual effects, District 9 can be put in a category of its own when describing exactly what it is. I’m tempted not to compare it with anything at the moment as I would hate to discredit the originality and the style. The story begins in true sci-fi nature where a brief, yet extremely effective summary of the world is explained through a series of interviews. Simply put, an alien ship was found hovering over South Africa and after much debate, humans decided to investigate. They found an entire race of beings starving, dying and without leadership so they “rescued” them and brought them down to the planet. Years pass and a giant weapons corporation called MNU decides to evict the aliens from their slums and put them into internment camps in hopes of learning how to master the alien technology. This is where the beginning of the film picks up as the audience follows the rise and fall and rise again of MNU employee Wikus Van De Merwe. Wikus is promoted to lead a team of humans into District 9 in hopes of getting signatures for legal eviction notices.
The pace of District 9 is a lesson in how a sci-fi flick should be written. Blomkamp explains the back story, then explains his character, then immediately gets into the story. Wikus, played brilliantly by Sharlto Copley, goes on a tragic journey where he is exposed to new alien technology, befriends an alien named Christopher and eventually helps the alien race in a small but meaningful way. By the end of the flick you don’t feel any better about the state of the human race, but you do see hope in the individuals – a true sci-fi concept that Blomkamp understands extremely well.
The animation in District 9 is also a great point to touch on. When I say “seamless,” I don’t mean “awesome looking robots that battle each other,” I actually mean that the audience will have a difficult time figuring out what was shot and what was animated. Using Vancouver-based visual effects studio Image Engine, Blomkamp and a team of artists created a unique look that not only separates District 9 from a lot of other sci-fi flicks, but will probably spark a wave of similar concepts. Think Blair Witch meets the original Robocop and you might be able to imagine the style.
District 9 is one of those movies that will probably be shown in film classes around the world for years to come. It is difficult to find a flaw other than the subjective opinion of using a shaky-cam for a lot of the time. Blomkamp has created something amazing and I hope to see a lot more from him in the future. Peter Jackson isn’t a fool when it comes to spotting talent as I would expect Blomkamp to stick around for a long time. I am going to have to give District 9 a 9 out of 10 on the flightless bird scale but only because of the amount of cringe worthy scenes. These scenes are important, but I’ve got a weak stomach when it comes to footage of surgery and self mutilation. Seriously, if you’re going to check out one sci-fi movie this year, make sure its District 9. You won’t be disappointed.
August 15th, 2009 at 11:52 am
so much mystery around this movie. can’t wait to catch this flick. great review.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
This movie was so amazing. The social, racial, and political commentary is balanced beautifully with insane gory and little funny bits. Great review for an amazing movie!
August 19th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
2012 – hes going to return in 3 years, can’t wait!
September 5th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
wow. just finally watched this. It was FUCKIN AMAZING.