District 9 (2009) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

USA, New Zealand 2009
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, David James, Louis Minnaar, Eugene Khumbanyiwa
Rating: R
Release Date: 13 August 2009
Running Time: 1 hour 52 minutes

The Movie Review

District 9 film still 1


DISTRICT 9
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

This movie is unbelievable... Unbelievably Awesome!
One of the best movies in 2009 and one of the best Sci-Fi movies in years!!

Hmmm... Where should I start to compliment this remarkable sci-fi flick... First of all the budget was surprisingly modest for such great achievement (US $30 million), but of course the strongest point relies on the storyline and the premise. Yes siree! It's the story that counts a lot! It's not just some alien meets human and then clashes ensue. It's far far more deeper than that. The allegories and metaphors are everywhere. The minorities and majorities are at play here. The story, the editing, acting, make up and shock values of District 9 justify a solid 'Must Watch' verdict for all moviegoers who look for good entertainment. Not just for Sci-Fi fans. Besides, the camerawork is rather unique. A combination of hand-held camera ala Cloverfield (2007) and traditional camera. However... District 9 is on much higher league than the Cloverfield.

And oh, before I forgot here's the story: Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is also the hometown of the director Neill Blomkamp and lead actor Sharlto Copley, District 9 tells the time when a gigantic UFO hovers above the city in perfectly still motion for years. One day the government decides to break in into the spaceship to investigate further, but what they find is hundreds of malnutrition aliens with mostly are dying. The government set up a camp in a vast empty area to house the aliens, but the conditions resemble a big ghetto/slum. The aliens who people refer to as Prauns/Prawns because of their similarity to prawns are continuously under surveillance and control of Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley), the new head of Prawns division.

An incident happens when Wikus accidentally does something harmful to himself. From then on, the peaceful relationship between the humans and the Prawns is in great threat. A condition that forces some people to do things beyond their imagination and to be things beyond explanation...

Peter Jackson wore the producer's hat, that's gotta be something right? That's what District 9's marketing implies, and luckily that can not be more true. District 9 is a highly intense film which has got that fugitive vibe of Will Smith's Enemy of the State (1998) or Mark Wahlberg's Shooter (2006). The first part of District 9 actually feels like those 60's 'comedy' monster movie, but once the tragedy happens, well the intensity and the emotional level soars high. You can feel that it's gonna be ugly and emotionally-provoking. The first part is also a good example for other filmmakers to make the audience emotionally-attached to the characters especially by employing that particular camerawork that gives us the impression of watching News Channel.

Actually, the unique premise of District 9 is 100% absolutely Not a new thing. For example, in 1989 there's a rather twisted movie called Curse II: The Bite (1989) about a man whose hand turned into snake. But...hold it right there, because that's the only minor minor flaw of District 9. Besides every actor is performing their role superbly. Most notably Sharlto Copley as Wikus Van De Merwe and David James as the cruel true xenophobe Colonel Koobus Venter. Two white males with two extremely opposite behavior. A simple thing that could easily make a movie becomes emotional but often overlooked by many filmmakers.

Genocide, xenophobia, betrayal, greed, hypocrisy and many other fu*ked-up side of humanity are covered in District 9. Absolutely an awesome experience having watched this sci-fi film in cinema. I even almost left my popcorn untouched. I can't think of another thing with my mind and eyes were just locked up onto the screen. Now that's my friend is what I call a true entertainment. And when the road to the ending is filled with lotsa 'n lotsa big bangs with bullets flying around almost equaled by lotsa 'n lotsa F-words, the end just seal the deal of awesome amusement. Many years to come, this movie would still be sought by many movie buffs all around the world.

One, two, three, four and five *****. There you go, a solid 5-star movie for its intense action and great entertainment. To make it short, District 9 has Tight editing, superb CGI, awesome Make-Up, brilliant storyline, awesome shoot out, unique cinematography, emotionally touching, we could really root for the protagonist and deeply despise the antagonists, and shocking ending. District 9 is a perfect science fiction movie that succesfully depicts an un-perfect world dominated by aggresive species... The Human.