Movie Review: “District 9”
Friday, August 14, 2009 at 12:13AM | By Franck Tabouring 
Seen on: August 13, 2009
The players: Director: Neill Blomkamp, Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell, Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Sumner
Facts of interest: Peter Jackson produced "District 9."
The plot: As Multi-National United gears up to transport alien refugees from camp to camp, a human agent is exposed to a dangerous alien virus.
Our thoughts: Whatever your plans are for the weekend, make sure they include a trip to the theater to see Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9,” a fascinating sci-fi thriller that should put fans of the genre in a frenzy and may even impress those who are not used to watching action-packed movies about alien encounters. This one, my fellow readers, is a real blast!
While several reviews out there reveal way too much about the movie’s vibrant plot, I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible. The very first thing you get to see in “District 9” is a giant alien spaceship hovering quietly over Johannesburg, and although the sight of it is clearly threatening, the intentions of the extraterrestrials are not.
On the contrary, the ship’s been hanging there for a couple of decades, and if there’s one thing the stranded aliens would like to do, it’s return home to their own planet. Sadly for them, they’ve been living in slump-like conditions as refugees in a fenced camp run by Multi-National United, the corporation in charge of dealing with the situation.
As the film opens, MNU is gearing up to move the unwelcomed visitors to a new site, and to make sure everything runs smoothly enough, the company sends in a field operative named Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) to evict those resisting the transfer. But when Wikus accidentally contracts a mysterious alien virus, all hell breaks loose.
“District 9” is a sci-fi spectacle that works on many levels, but above all, it’s highly innovative. It takes a concept that’s been exploited on the big-screen many times into a new direction, and it successfully generates an intense, surprising alien story filled with first-class action, great effects, and a compelling lead character.
Wikus is obviously the driving force behind the plot, and I really enjoyed the elaborate development of his character. As a human forced to struggle with a virus that will push him into conflict with his own race, he’s someone I’m sure you’ll find it very easy to sympathize with. His predicament, as you will see in the film, is not an easy one to digest.
Even though “District 9” does slow down a bit here and there, the film did a fabulous job capturing my full attention from start to finish. My eyes were fully fixed on the screen for the entire 113 minutes, and I was in awe throughout. This is an incredibly entertaining film, and one that won’t let go off you until the very last scene.
By now it’s certainly not a new style anymore, but Blomkamp cleverly chose to tell most of his story through a series of interviews, news footage and the making of a documentary inside District 9. The cameras on the ground constantly shake, but the resulting effect pulls you right into the middle of the action.
Not only does the fast-paced plot deliver plenty of great action moments (some of which are way more suspenseful that the mess I saw in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), but the movie as a whole also boasts a great look in my book. From the design of the aliens to all the CG used in the film, “District 9” is a visually intriguing experience.
Freaky quote: "It's definitely alien!" – Sharlto Copley
The final word: I’ve said a lot about this one and could easily dig deeper and say more, but I would rather have you discover all the goodness there is to discover in “District 9” for yourself. Skip everything else this weekend and visit this one instead… you won’t be disappointed!
Article by Franck Tabouring
Reader Comments (4)
This movie had great potential, but I feel that Blomkamp screwed it up in the end. To be honest, I really didn't enjoy it. The arrival of the aliens wasn't written very well. I never understood how the mother ship managed to remain hovering above Johannesburg for so long without any fuel or the command module. I'm still confused about how the Nigerian gansters got their hands on the weapons - or how many of the aliens had weapons to barter with, in the first place. And I hated the movie's portrayal of the Nigerians. It undermined the movie's anti-apartheid message, especially since Blomkamp was willing to show a few sympathetic black and white South Africans.
District 9 was genuinely original and all around high quality as far as cinematography goes; that new no name lead actor did a great job
I have seen this movie last firday. It was nice. I would wanna to watch it again.
The quality of video was to good.
Yes, I was blown away by the movie. It is groundbreaking. Suprisingly, it brought back memories of stories my immigrant grandparents and my native parents told me of "making it" across borders and into the United States. I myself have worked with many people like the military/corporate wonks depicted in the movie. I have lived among poverty and upper middle class. The depiction of all this was disturbing to me personally. After you see the movie, ask yourself if the "real" tragic hero/heroine is alien or human? Next check your biases, as they most likely constructed your answer.