Michael Lown
BartoDistrict 9 - Wag the Film Review
August 22nd 2009 17:31
After winning the hearts of critics and audiences around the country to become the sleeper hit of 2009, I was skeptical when I sat down in the dark theater. Was it really that good or was it simply over-hyped? Thankfully my fears were washed away within the first few seconds. District 9, produced by Peter Jackson, is both an intelligent and fun thriller.
The film tells the fictious story of when a strange alien spaceship (carrying aliens later nicknamed "prawns") that arrives in Johannesburg, South Africa. The prawns are eventaully placed into the slums, where they are taken advatage of by the government, who want their high-tech weaponry, and the surrounding gang lords. When they realize that the slums can no longer contain them, they appoint an office drone (Sharlto Copley) to hand out eviction notices to the hostile prawns. During this, he gets infected by a strange liquid that slowly transforms him into one of them, becoming a top priority for the world around him.
Quite frankly, my synopsis doesn't do the film much justice. In its 113 minute running time, the film is an unique mixure of both deep themes (intolerance, value of life, etc.) without ever becoming preachy and amazing special effects (that are even more awe-inspiring when you realize it was made out of a scant 30 million) that leads to some awesome action scenes that never become over-the-top. Neill Blomkamp gives the movie a strong, self-assured sense of style and pacing that you usually don't see from first-time directer. Even better is the unknown cast you all do a great job with the material given to them, the standout being the lead, Sharlto Copley, in one of his first film roles.
However, I must admit that it isn't the masterpiece that several would lead you to believe. While the low-budget effects are great, they're sure not perfect (the more prawns that are on screen, the cheaper they look). Even worse is from a storytelling standpoint: for the first 20-30 minutes, the story is told in an interesting documentary style, including interviews with the cast of characters as well as "experts." This is eventually dropped with no explanation, with the interviews popping up from time to time whenever exposition is needed. This graudullay turns what was a creative concept into a bit of a cheap gimmick.
Despite its problem, District 9 is still too imaginative and innovative to be ignored. Its definately a fun time at the movies.
A-
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