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Director: Neill Blomkamp IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/ I was able to get into a special screening of District 9 yesterday and was amazed. I had only heard of the movie in the beginning of July and was interested immediately. Brief synopsis: A giant alien ship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa in the early 80's, humans investigate, find giant bug-like aliens given the epithet 'Prawns,' over the next 20 years a corporation, MNU, sets up a refugee camp turned ghetto for the prawns. The movie follows a bumbling MNU agent as he leads a team to evict the prawns to a new camp because of escalating violence between rioting citizens of Johannesburg and the prawns. During the eviction process things get compromised and the rest of the movie focuses on him avoiding the MNU. The movie is shot in a documentary style for the first half, and it really works. The camera angles aren't as jarring as one might expect and the "shaky-cam" effect, while still used, isn't as bad as it could have been. Throughout the course of the movie the style switches back and forth from documentary to normal "movie style" to give the audience a more complete look at what is going on. Where this movie really shines is how authentic it looks and feels and how shockingly plausible it could be. I could totally see this playing out in reality (if, you know, aliens became stranded on Earth). No one is portrayed as the good guy, every side has their faults and atrocities committed, even the lead character until the bitter end. You begin to empathize with the aliens the most even though they are portrayed as animals (drones). Everything just felt real. The movie's message is present throughout the entire film but never rammed down your throat, at least that's how I felt. I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone. Best movie I've seen all year. Pros: Bad rear end alien weapons that cause massive amounts of damage, convincing characters, realistic special effects, interesting presentation style. Cons: Some may not like the aliens themselves, maybe a bit cartoony? The alien weapons are loving awesome, even if you don't want a thought-provoking movie, see it for the loving weapons. 5/5
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Aug 13, 2009 21:44
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Saw the midnight show last night. The two hour wait was well worth it. I feel the same way as the op. The movie had a certain realism that is difficult to pin down. I don't know why it seemed so authentic. It could have been the cast of no-name, regular looking actors that gave it its authenticity. With the exception of one character every one was believable. I also got the feeling during the entire movie of experiencing something 'new', some new unchartered territory of film. Again, I can't pin down what was so unique about this movie but it bears this certain quality that made me really excited and proud to be in the theatre experiencing it before most other people. If I were to try to sum up this feeling really tritely and cliched, I would say the movie felt like a brand new video game that uses a new way of storytelling and a new engine that you haven't played before - maybe like the way it felt for millions of nerds to play Half Life when it first hit the shelves. I know, lame. As the op said, the movie plays with your emotions; at the beginning of the film, I didn't know exactly how to feel about the aliens nor about the humans, but as the movie moves on it becomes subtly apparent that the whole point was to create such a battle within the viewer. The movie looks fantastic. While some people may not like the way the aliens look, everything else looks gorgeous. And the weapons, the weapons! You really have to see for yourself, but I will say that during the viewing the audience would collectively sigh or collectively cheer when a really satisfying vaporization would play out on screen. You feel like a kid in a toy store going "OH, COOL!" at every bloody aisle[scene]. Between Star Trek and District 9 I think we've had a beautiful year for sci-fi moviemaking. 5/5 Subraji fucked around with this message at 14:27 on Aug 18, 2009 |
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Aug 14, 2009 14:57
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I thought the movie was highly enjoyable and I felt an odd sense of having spent my money well when I left the theater. This is something I don’t normally feel one way or the other about. I just don’t think about it, but it was clear after having seen this movie that it was well spent. The movie takes a look at alien integration in what is probably a much more serious and realistic way than say, the underappreciated Alien Nation. Nearly all of the interactions are at least somewhat believable. The action keeps “shaky cam” to a generally tolerable level and the visual presentation of the aliens (CGI) was good enough to allow me to suspend my sense of disbelief. One of the most immediate criticisms I had (as well as major worries before I saw it) was that the moral lessons would be too heavy handed. I don't mind discussions of major issues, but more often than not, I'm merely being lectured. The "it's like popcorn" scene stands out in this regard. That said, from there on out, it wasn't too bad. If they went a bit further and completely removed "shaky cam" it would be even better. Also, the CGI was about average, maybe a bit above average. Attacking it any further though would be nitpicking, so I'll just leave it at that. I do recommend that science fiction fans and perhaps those looking for something different out of Hollywood these days seriously consider this movie. 4/5 StickySweater fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Aug 14, 2009 |
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Aug 14, 2009 17:14
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I saw the midnight screening of this and left the theater thinking that this movie felt like an overlong set up for a sequel. The story is very slow to develop, as you learn about the main character who is sent into an alien blockade to try to move them to a location where they won't disturb human beings. I didn't actually like the main character very much - it seemed to me that they were trying to turn a slightly nerdy, lanky human being with a nervous personality into an action hero. Perhaps if I would have enjoyed their angle on the lead character I would have liked this movie more. There is just too much of a focus on him in the film and it drags the movie down. The script is ok, but the story is so drawn out that the concept of the film eventually seems boring as you are waiting for something to actually happen. This flick has good effects and lots of texture and that helps carry you through the scenes where you are anticipating the good stuff. Overall, I felt that this film lacked good pacing and intellectual intrigue but was well produced. I didn't feel that I'd viewed something that blew me away but I felt that I was moderately entertained. 2.5/5
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Aug 14, 2009 18:20
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First off let me say that I have not seen very many movies this summer. The only other SciFi-esque movies I have seen this summer were Transformers and Terminator, which I thought were both garbage. The thing that I loved most about the movie was that it was not over the top at all. It seemed like all of these events could have really happened if there was some sort of unexpected alien landing. They handle the situations in ways that are realistic, for the most part. There is a struggle in your head who you want to side with. The movie plays on both sides pretty well and lets you decide who you want to come out on top. It doesn't force feed you anything. Another thing I really liked were the actors. No big names, no association, just acting. You connect on a much deeper level when you aren't thinking "oh that's christian bale, blah blah". The main characters all were extremely well done. CG was fantastic, no other way to put it. Like I said before, it is not over the top and in your face. It doesn't force feed you action like Transformers did. It's placed extremely well and it all makes sense. Plus the weapons are mad cool. The lighting on all of the characters is just perfect, you honestly cannot tell they are CG (minus the fact that they are loving aliens). The interaction with live actors is spot on. There was never a point in the movie where I went "oh that looks off", and I usually am very nitpicky about that type of stuff. This movie was the best movie of the summer for me. I've been really disappointed with SciFi flicks recently because they are all cookie-cutter, stupid action with no meaning at all. This movie broke the mold and really came through for me. 4.5/5 ilikechapstick fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Aug 15, 2009 |
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Aug 15, 2009 05:33
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I went into this movie knowing very little about it. A friend of mine said he was going, and having nothing better to do on a Friday night, I went with. From what I saw, I thought it was just gonna be a mindless summer action film. I was wrong. Like what others have said, the best part of this movie is how authentic it feels. With the alien situation presented, I believe the human response is very similar to how it would have actually been handled. The story did take a while to progress, but i believe the setup was necessary. It really sucks you into the whole setting of it, and for me the movie just flew by. I think it was the perfect length. The weapons were indeed very cool. I believe at one point an alien weapon picked up a pig and hurled it at an enemy. Essentially a gravity gun. The main character was okay. Not a great character, and a lot of his character development is the only part of the movie where I felt i had to actively suspend belief. All in all, very much worth the watch. And the less you know about the movie going into it, the better. 4/5
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Aug 15, 2009 07:30
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Good movie, what I would call the Anti-Independence Day (Will Smith). Its Alien Nation, meets The Fly (Jeff Goldblum), meets Cry Freedom. It has a slow, but watchable plot that focuses on a son in law that's promotion to some bureaucratic dept of a major cooperation that deals with the aliens. Living on the planet for 20 years, treated like bottom feeding savages in society. Where they once existed in neighborhoods, they had to be corralled up into a fenced in slum/shanty town and ultimately now are being asked to re-locate into an even shittier reservation, which is basically what this movie is about. Ending leaves wide open a sequel, which I hope they'll make soon. Well worth the ticket. 5/5 Kinison Khan fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Aug 15, 2009 |
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Aug 15, 2009 19:48
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I want to give this movie a high score because there are parts of it that are really good, and I definitely came out of the theaters feeling that my money was well-spent. But when I think about it, for most of the movie I was pretty bored. The plot takes a long time to wind up, and even as the action scenes were unfolding I kept feeling like I was waiting for the really interesting bits to come up. The plot starts off with a number of good threads that seem to set up some setting exploration (the world of District 9 is really pretty interesting) but resolves them like a typical action movie, with those threads brushed to the side to focus on the bumbling main character and his action scenes. I felt this movie could have been better if it had less focus on the main character and more on the aliens and their backstory. There's a lot in this movie to like and it's a good action movie, with a pretty overall solid plot. The production is excellent and turns movie from an okay one to a good one. 3/5
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Aug 16, 2009 10:51
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Going to have a repeat a lot of the above here, but I just want to say how impressed I was with this movie compared with the others I had seen this summer. I went to District 9 wary of some bland sci-fi alien action film but was really impressed from the very beginning of the movie. I really enjoyed how understated the aliens really were, as it wasn't focused on any sort of "invasion" or "exterminate the humans" based storyline. I found myself empathizing early on with the alien characters and really enjoyed the plot and pacing. It can drag in certain places, especially the beginning, but since the total runtime doesn't overshoot 2 hours, you never feel like any time is wasted in the storytelling. Some may avoid the movie because it seems like a movie that is going to try to sell you a "message", and while there is symbolism and metaphors for those who want to look at the movie like that, the movie never tries to shove these down your throat. Overall, I greatly enjoyed District 9 for its restrained sci-fi action and plot and it just being a plain enjoyable film. 4.5/5
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Aug 16, 2009 21:52
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My biggest mistake was having expectations about what I would see. My best piece of advice is to not do this because you will be disappointed for all the wrong reasons. Despite leaving the theater thinking I'd been had, in retrospect I realized what a truly amazing movie this was. You need to remind yourself over and over that this is Peter Jackson's baby and as such you must assume the storyline's entirety can't possibly be contained in 2 hours of film. The good news is, as opposed to LOTR, he managed to keep this a 2 hour film and not an uncomfortably long 3+ hours. Also, as long as you keep this in the sci-fi realm of your brain you won't be perturbed by the obvious linguistic and biological blemishes. Overall the setting, camera work, social tensions, and emotions were genuine. Major props to the actor who played the main character. A couple bad social commentaries could have been better left on the cutting room floor (Nigerian scamming, "popcorn", the guy in prison for exposing corrupt government testing which all came out of NOWHERE) and my only gripe about the casting was that the military commander was nauseatingly cliche in his Duke Nukem persona, how Peter Jackson didn't avoid that somehow is beyond me...it's intentional for no good reason other than making us want him dead. Oh and the other hate-inducing figure, Wirko's father-in-law, goes from central figure of disgust to non-existent by the second half of the movie. I know we'll see some continuance or closure in the next film but a final visual would be nice. It's impossible for me to judge this as a standalone movie. Knowing that something else is coming our way (10), the quality of this movie as a tension-builder is absolutely superb and among the best ever done since the original Star Wars. I will probably see this movie at least once more in a theater and will play the poo poo out of this on Blu-Ray. I'll be booking my tickets for the next one too. 4/5 (docked a point because Peter Jackson can't help but have creative flaws)
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Aug 17, 2009 09:24
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I feel like I'm going to hell for this, but I can only rate it a 4/5 While watching it, something was just not clicking with me. It's hard to articulate, but it has something to do with D9 being quite similar to modern videogame scenarios. There were many moments that made me dream about how kick-rear end the videogame would be, but the sloppy logic on display makes it hard to accept D9 as some sort of renaissance for intelligent sci-fi films. However, in comparison to other sci-fi this summer, D9 is far and away the most satisfying premise. There's a lot of story left undeveloped, which is a nice change from the mindless crap we have been fed via movies like RotF and T:S (and even Star Trek). It's great to see a goddamn R-rated sci-fi movie again. The teenagers in the crowd became much quieter once the nasty bits began. It reminded me of Verhoeven in his prime and made me smile. The effects work is pretty tight, but hardly seamless. I found the Prawn animation to be lacking in many shots, but the close-ups looked amazing. Still, even though the effects have been overhyped, they are no less convincing than recent movies with 5-6x the budget of D9. When seen in this light, D9 has VERY successful effects. Another minor complaint related to the overall design of the movie is how the alien weapons and the anti-alien signs look pasted into the world of D9. They look cheap and incongruous to me. The alien weaponry is awesomely effective, but the actual tech looks like Lazer Tag stuff from back in the day. Props to the lead actor - In his debut performance, he displays more range than Hollywood actors who get paid $20 million per film. In the end, D9 needs to be supported because it's a step backwards from all the terrible, uber-budget movies of summer 2009. We may not change the trend with D9 alone, but this movie's success can be part of a return to better sci-fi. To poo poo on it and crusade against it because it isn't perfect is a bad move; Would you rather we continue with overpriced idiocy like RotF, a trend that will eventually give birth to Explosion: The Movie? Anyway, thank goodness we at least have a ray of originality and craft in an otherwise dire summer season. Send a message to the studios and support original sci-fi. EDIT: Bumped to a 4 in light of all the interesting discussion it has spurred with friends. the_psychologist fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Aug 20, 2009 |
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Aug 17, 2009 19:32
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District 9: 3/5 An entertaining and intriguing premise that really makes you think are the highlights of this film. The way the film sets up the world of District 9, you can't help but feel bad for how the aliens are forced to live. But when you really think about it, can you imagine how this would play out if it really happened? The financial, political, and diplomatic strain it would put on humanity as a whole to have to subsidize and support the lives of millions of stranded aliens. This whole situation that really makes you question everything is where the movie shines. However, the movie falls into the typical sci-fi cliche of having an "evil greedy mega-corporation" as the proverbial bad guy. Like Moon, Wall-E, Alien and Aliens, Resident Evil, and countless science fiction movies before it, District 9 falls flat by relying on heavy handed (dare I say anti-capitalist) social commentary that is tired and worn out at this point. Don't get me wrong, it works well here, I just wish there was some other twist they could've used. 3/5 The Shep fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Aug 18, 2009 |
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Aug 18, 2009 01:24
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Many people have already said this stuff so I will distill it into quick snippets: The movie had a visceral, realistic feeling to it. I didn't have to suspend belief, the documentary style and well-done CG made it entirely plausible. The movie took the "easy way out" morally a couple times, creating very pat moral commentary a few times. Other times its very open and flexible, so I felt the "easy" scenes did a disservice. The weaponry and action sequences were awesome. The lack of big names was a huuuge plus. Overall, this ties with Star Trek for best sci fi movie this year. It was thought-provoking, emotional, easy to relate to, and just drat interesting. I have very high praise for District 9. 4.5/5 edit: I agree with Cmndr. Shepard's above spoilers (which are minor) about the movie. There are some cliches that come up that I wish could have been different. But, cliches though they are, they are well done in this film and I have few complaints. That Dang Dad fucked around with this message at 12:42 on Aug 18, 2009 |
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Aug 18, 2009 12:39
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EllisD posted:bunch of stuff Anyway, I had the chance to see this with very little knowledge of what it was about. I left with mind thoroughly blown. I guess being a fan of sci-fi I am a little biased. The acting (south effrika) was superb the visual effects perfectly executed and all layered on a great story makes it a 5 in my books. It's the first movie Ive seen in a while that's really blown me away. If you're going to recommend it to anyone, don't tell them too much about it. Just tell them that they have to see it. 5/5
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Aug 19, 2009 05:56
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Awesome movie. Original and gritty with that hyper realism thing all the kids are talking about these days. Kicks films like Independence day with it's long presidential speeches and War of the Worlds with its Tom Cruise square in the nutsack. pros: The aliens were great as a bunch of lower class extraterrestrial white trash. Effects were spot on. cons: I kept wanting the guy in the ED209 suit to quit running and taking damage from behind and just unload on the army dudes. loving hell. 5 out of 5 I suppose.
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Aug 19, 2009 11:41
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Loved it, excellent sci-fi film. I liked the gritty realism, the action, and drama. Acting was good, except for the main merc bad guy boss whoever general it was. As others have pointed out, his "evilness" was way over the top to the point of caricature. The other weakness was the same cliched Mega-Corp Evil McKill Co. I can believe a company like that would exist, sure, but wouldn't SOME government step in and try to control the situation a bit more? I mean, would the UN or something not have something to say about all that? The prawns themselves are very well done, and despite being bugs are still very emotive and articulate. I was very impressed, they could have turned out very silly looking if not convincing enough, but they pulled it off nicely. Ok another gripe, the Nigerian scammers living in District 9. Why are they there anyway? Isn't this place for the aliens, and not them? Why would they be allowed to live there with them? From what the film portrayed, they don't exactly add to the local culture or atmosphere in a positive light. Hell they EAT the prawns! That's not good, right? The ending! I can appreciate setting up for a sequel, but drat what a let down. They take off in the mothership and leave all the prawns there for three loving years?!? By then they'll all probably be dead! Can't they beam them up or something? But yeah it was still awesome. Ok gently caress it one last rant: Why the hell don't the prawns just use their own weapons and start blasting the poo poo out of anyone who pisses them off? The nerd main character guy doesn't have any problem using the one he steals from the Nigerians, so what's the problem? 4/5 quote:cons: I kept wanting the guy in the ED209 suit to quit running and taking damage from behind and just unload on the army dudes. loving hell. I totally agree! If there's one thing I've learned from playing FPS games, it's that when you outgun the bad guys but they're still hurting you, don't slowly run away; turn around and blow the poo poo out of them. Then walk away in peace and comfort. KiddieGrinder fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Aug 19, 2009 |
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Aug 19, 2009 22:57
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I think this movie gets a few additional points from me for just how absolutely ambitious the whole thing was. Obviously this only happened because of Peter Jackson's name on it, but look at what it was: An overtly science fiction film with NO big name stars and not even taking place in a location that most of the American filmgoer crowd knows or cares about, taking its place in the summer blockbuster season. That, to me, is amazing on its own. Cloverfield already did the "CG elements in documentary style" thing, sure, but this was so seamlessly integrated that it looked absolutely plausible. Another thing that reeled me in is that I was already a fan of Neill Blomkamp's short films like Tetra Vaal, Yellow, Alive in Joburg, and those Halo clips. Mainly because I love the concept of a grittier and more realistic look at sci-fi. This was hard sci-fi done absolutely right, and I love it for that. As for the content of the film, although some of the documentary parts dragged a bit I felt they were necessary to set up the world we're seeing. I liked how the characters were impressively well-rounded and believable, and how easily they blurred the fantasy/reality line. Once the main hook of the plot grabs you, you don't even question it anymore. I didn't mind the gung-ho mercenaries or the warlords because I know there are people like that in both the military and in African gangs. The only part I didn't really like is the dramatic cliche where Wikus gets saved at the very LAST second not once, not twice, but THREE times. It got a little annoying after it had already happened earlier. I can overlook that though, because you have to make some concessions for theatrics. But between the seamless integration, the real feeling world, the crazy alien weapons, the action, and the interesting characters and plot, this is the most fun I've had in a theater in a long time. I don't even feel like it necessarily has to be a setup for a sequel either; the story could easily stand on its own with the epilogue crawl before the credits, and everyone having to use their imaginations. Great, ambitious film that really made me wanting more of Blomkamp's style. 5/5 Bonk fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Aug 19, 2009 |
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Aug 19, 2009 23:40
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To me this was one of the darkest, most gritty science fiction films I've seen. Every part of it made me somewhat uncomfortable, and I think that was good....as often Sci Fi tries to drown us in technical details or gee whiz CGI without trying to push you out of a comfort zone. I agree with other posters that the R rating gives this film more impact thanks to the content that is allowed. The main Prawn character seems very easy to relate to, despite his alien nature. 5/5
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Aug 20, 2009 06:04
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The thing that struck me most in this movie was the sheer power of the alien weapons. You don't even have to point them or aim them, just pull the trigger and things die in spectacular fashion. Here you have guns that literally blow up people and what are the aliens doing with them? Trading them for cat food. Eating tires. The movie is completely filled with these kinds of subtle paradoxes and ironies. If this strikes or interests you at all, definitely see this movie. It's very engaging: visually, mentally, emotionally. 5/5
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Aug 20, 2009 07:17
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Someone up the thread said they felt like they'd been had, and I had a very slight feeling of this coming out of the cinema. The trailers make it look like a sci-fi-as-allegory film with some instances of conflict - the focus on the documentary element, including using footage that wasn't in the film the bit where the guy asks a captive alien "how do your weapons work" and he replies "I just want to go home". However, whilst the set-up and first third of the film adheres to this (in a heavy-handed sort of way), it quickly reveals itself as both a character piece and a gritty action film, leaving its supposed intelligence behind. That said, I don't want anyone to think that this affects my opinion of the film as it stands, without preconceptions - I loved every minute. The whole thing was so drat satisfying. Rather than a social commentary with some conflict, it was a badass, alien-killing, man-exploding ride with some brains (in more ways than one  ). There is so much that's great about this film: the central character is funny and endearing, even if you never really like him, and his reactions to his plight are understandable. Great acting from Sharlto Copley as Wikus, there. The premise is unique and fascinating, and is used fairly well. The effects are top-notch - the ship looks fantastic, the alien tech is unrelentingly badass, and very cool use of practical effects. And all this for $30 million! Peter Jackson is not the best director in the world (despite Heavenly Creatures being one of my favourite films), but I think he is one of the very best filmmakers - making this movie for $30 million is an achievement, hands down. I've often seen people talk about Peter Jackson being responsible for this movie being good or bad - I think the quality is mostly down to the writing, directing, and acting, which he didn't have a hand in. But to make it so good, so economically, is his achievement, and he's one of the very best at it. There are a lot of sci-fi cliches in the film, like Evil-Mega-Corp, Badass Cute Baby Alien, and Mysterious Transforming Fluid (which also doubles as spaceship fuel). Wikus' prosthetic isn't convincing in a hard sci-fi sort of way, it's very much a contrived transformation. (His make-up is great, though.) However, the filmmakers seem to use the cliches as a shorthand to get everything else going, and seem to relish in them. They're definitely aware of them and encourage the viewer to take them as read so everyone get down to business. One of the rare tasteful uses of sci-fi cliches, especially in a film so riddled with them. So, final thoughts. It was a little disappointing to see that this wouldn't be hard, conceptual sci-fi all the way through. However, the element of social commentary is still present within the film, and any social commentary that features the main character operating a giant mecha for at least twenty minutes of the running time is my kind of social commentary. 5/5. Mitthrawnuruodo fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Aug 23, 2009 |
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Aug 23, 2009 15:44
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Let me start by saying that I've been hyped out of my mind waiting for this movie. I remember thinking "HOLY poo poo" when I saw Tetra Vaal and Alive in Joburg two years ago. That said, I was not (in the least) disappointed by this. No sloppy loose ends or logical holes to think of. The acting is spot on and the characters are all believable. I can not think of anything that really irked me (and I'm a nitpicker when it comes to movies I hype). I sincerely loved this movie and, thinking back, it made me forget I had candy and soda with me to the theater. I was riveted. One thing that stood out was the fact that we got an explanation for the aliens irrational and retarded behavior since the leader caste (or all the officers/brain-prawns) had died aboard the ship en route to earth. The alien weaponry is awesome, the Metal Gear Solid inspired Mech suit (watch the feet! link-->)IMAGE is k-rad as well as the alien anatomy (except the eyes that are a bit too human-like but I can understand that it's needed to convey feeling). The clichés are all fully acceptable and detract in no way from the overall experience. If you're seeing one movie this year make sure that PJ and Blomkamp get your money. You will not be disappointed unless you're an idiot or you hate sci-fi. Sci-fi is back and I'm at peace for worrying about the quality of this movie. 5/5 PS: The alien hacker baby was darned cute. Bhm fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Aug 29, 2009 |
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Aug 29, 2009 21:18
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4.5/5 Best film of the year so far - would have given it a 5 if there wasnt so much of the it left. Plus points: Snappy filming, great alien tech/interactions/quirks(very halflife2), classy pew pew - no blingy pew pew, sad moments, kickass moments, intresting characters and interactions, some interesting social commentary. Starts of feeling like the opening to the office or something and very cleverly changes pace and filming method as the film progresses. minus points: no resolution of the father in law character - maybe in the dvd release, please.
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Sep 2, 2009 14:49
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5/5 I love this movie. I'll probably only end up reiterating what previous posters have said, but the hyper-real feel of the movie did it for me. As a South African, this movie is something to be proud of - it's not every day we see a big budget movie set in SA. Many parts felt very real and close to home, and Johannesburg's look and feel was captured well. The casting was quite strange though, as many of the people you see in the background (and some of the more prominent cast members) are local soap opera actors and the kind of people you see on TV ads. A couple of actors have had lead roles on TV shows and movies, and only got mere seconds of screentime  The in-jokes, throwaway insults and swear words were hilarious though. The first time Wikus exclaims, "fokken doos" the whole theater doubled over laughing, myself included. Some of it was almost too comical, changing a scene's feel from quite serious to being really funny, just because the accents are so exaggerated. I've seen this movie twice already, and will probably go again soon. Great stuff.
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Sep 3, 2009 08:24
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I watched this and was bored for the most part. I've never been a fan of the documentary style of film when not used in an actual documentary as it comes off as a little cheesy and, i dunno, it felt off. Like i was watching The Office. It was dull and felt like it plodded along with slow exposition with no real setup or conclusion to anything. Establishing that the humans are dicks didnt need to take up half of the film, and there was something about the humans being dicks for the sake of being dicks that just annoyed me from beginning to end but i suppose that's how you're supposed to end up rooting for the main guy despite the fact he causes a lot of the action at the end to happen because at heart he's still a selfish dick. Overall, i felt the film was shallow and cheesy, a popcorn flick at best and save for the mechsuit, lacked any original entertaining sentiments. 1/5
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Sep 8, 2009 18:51
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This was a quality film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot add to what has already been said in great detail about this film. Mechas, awesome weaponry, a great cast, great CGI and what a story? It was also worth it for the only time I can think of in cinimatic history for an alien to tell a human to "gently caress off!" 5.5
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Sep 9, 2009 23:55
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This movie was literally painful to sit through.  Thinking of picking something less diuretic than cola for a refreshment, I took full advantage of the local multiplex's concession stand policy and picked up a nice pint sized can of gin and tonic long drink. That ended up a really bad idea, as the beverage turned out anything but less diuretic, and cranked up the pressure in my bladder in no time. But since the movie was so good and I didn't want to miss a single minute, I had to spend the whole second half of the movie in agonizing pain and desperate need to urinate. Briefly I considered relieving myself on the spot, and might've even gone on with it, if it wasn't for the fact that instead of the usual wide soda cup I had brought a very inconvenient tin long drink can instead.  Hence, easily the best part of the experience was when it was over, when I could take the longest and most satisfying piss I had ever taken in my life. For the reference, it was easily every bit as long as the scene in the first Austin Powers movie. Hope this helps! 5/5
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Sep 10, 2009 23:29
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I watched this movie here in Iceland tonight, with all of the alien dialogue subtitled into frickin' Icelandic rather than English. Regardless, it was absolutely awesome. Movie of the year for me so far, without a doubt. The action scenes are cool, the weapons even more so. The documentary feel (and even the shaky-cam) actually works for once. The actors are superb, perhaps mainly because I didn't know any of them, which made a nice change. The CGI, especially for the aliens, is SPOT-ON. I almost always thing CGI creatures look somehow inherently wrong, but I don't think I really thought it at all in this film. There are a couple of small plot issues (which I can't see having been resolved when the Prawns were talking) but I can overlook them - they don't really damage the movie at all. Despite missing out on about 1/4 of the dialogue, for me this film is a definte... 5/5
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Sep 20, 2009 05:17
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Very disappointed. The hype inflated my expectations I suppose. I'm all for the accidental/unlikely hero but they turned the dial all the way to "Mr Bean" in this respect. They overcompensated with the casting of the bad guys. Yes, they were going for a 'realistic' look but christ the shaky-camera was done to death and back again. Perhaps that was to divert attention away from the plot. Aliens with exotic weapons technology landed in my back yard? Aliens that will happily swap these weapons for cat food? A tribe of smugglers and bandits want to move in with them? Why not - what could possibly go wrong? The CG was well done. 2/5
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Sep 27, 2009 13:43
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Inspirational. The story touched me more than most films I see, and its message that you have to put others before yoursself sometimes as well as the main character's willingness to wait struck an emotional chord. It was a little rough in some ways I guess. 4/5
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Oct 10, 2009 03:16
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I enjoyed it, it was a refreshing take on the aliens theme with humans being the oppressors. Even though the aliens are the oppressed, it's not too hard to relate to them, which I think is quite an amazing thing. 4/5
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Dec 11, 2009 10:16
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I had mixed feelings about District 9, I'm typically strictly a CineD lurker but the mix of appreciation / distaste I felt for this movie was a little jarring to me. I've spent some time in South Africa so my interest was immediately piqued by the setting, but the parallels (at least to me) drawn between THE ALIENS and THE BLACK PEOPLE were a little tiresome throughout the movie. OK good work you made a movie about apartheid, except APARTHEID FROM SPACE. However, as previous posters have mentioned the look and kinda smoky-gritty feel of Johannesburg was done well. It's rare to find a movie set in South Africa and as a country of intense, distinct contrasts between portions of the population (economic, social, whatever differences), it's an almost ideal location for the issues addressed in the movie. Here the parallels worked in the film's favor, and Wikus' accent had me giggling throughout. The presentation was refreshing, the pseudo-documentary style including smatterings of interviews / voiceovers didn't come off as forced and even helped to impart some gravity to the events that transpired in the movie. However, delivery was somewhat plodding, which brings me to my next point: Don't let anyone fool you into thinking this is an action flick. The last 30 minutes of it is an action flick, but you spend 82 minutes getting there. Kin pegged it perfectly: they didn't need to spend half the movie setting up the humans as the bad guys. This is plain from the outset, with the stark disaster of internment camps drawn up in pitched contrast to the corporate cube farm running it, who the villain will be. Despite what the media seems to pander to, people are still able to pick up on context clues. Or context explicit slaps in the face. The CG was well done, Wikus was easy to relate to (especially as a mid-level manager, I feel his pain) if you could get past the gore-porn that others have painted as "hyper-reality", and the implications of a visitation by the Delta-Minuses of a particular alien species are a neat sci-fi concept. Just don't expect to be mowin' down Elites with your plasma rifle. 3/5
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Dec 11, 2009 21:51
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From my experience, this is one of those movies you love or hate. I was definitely on the side of hate. 2/5 I saw it in a theater and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but I was with friends. It just didn't keep me entertained. The documentary style is a personal preference that I couldn't stand. There were a lot of terribly unrealistic things, which I could put aside since it was a movie, but the whole thing was very lacking in every way. The plot was straightforward and uninteresting. It's not the type of movie with all kinds of cool twists and turns. The characters were boring and pretty good examples of the scum of the human race - which is what they were going for with the movie. They wanted to show the faults of the human race, and everyone knows we're hosed up, so I didn't enjoy seeing that again for the billionth time. If you put the BIG GUNS and the COOL ALIENS aside, there's little substance, character development, or (worthwhile) underlying meaning. Yes, humanity is an inherently "evil" race, can we move on now?
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Dec 31, 2009 22:12
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Ambitious is a great word to describe this movie, as a few reviews already have. The ambitious decision to not explain what we expect explained - Why did the alien craft come to Earth? Why was it so hosed up inside? - and from using Johannasburg as the location rather than, you know, DC or LA or NY. The interaction between the various factions was entirely plausable. The main character was well-portrayed but poorly written at points. The possibilities that the ending opens are countless - you can fill into your imagination what is going to happen in three years, and just about every scenario is equally plausible. 4.5/5
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Sep 4, 2010 22:43
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I found the movie original and chilling in its portrayal of apartheid. It's a very bold move to make a science fiction movie on that theme in the exact spot where it took place, but the result is very effective. The classical science fiction nerd inside me jumped with glee at the ending. IMHO science fiction at its best will examine a philosophical theme without necessarily providing a conclusion. I can imagine people expecting everything to be tied up in a neat bow will resent this part of the movie. 5/5
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Sep 8, 2010 15:11
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A harrowing vision of a future where South African directors have access to Hollywood studios. 4/5 mysterious frankie fucked around with this message at 05:06 on Sep 12, 2010 |
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Sep 12, 2010 05:02
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I'm 100% convinced that people who disliked this film are Republicans who saw it as a personal attack on their greediness and anti-environmental agenda. The people who were offended by its parallels to Apartheid are the same kind of people who think there is no longer racism in America since Obama was able to get elected. District 9 is the best sci-fi film since the Matrix. Most films of this genre present the aliens as faceless entities for Will Smith to punch or teach weird religions and telekinetics to space-faring farm boys.. District 9 did the very difficult and made us care about the aliens. I for one would've been very upset and saddened if Christopher's son had died. 5/5
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Dec 7, 2010 02:22
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Being South African I can completely relate to what this movie is portraying. It's everyday life here really. Although Apartheid is "over" there is still segregation to a massive extent that seems somewhat irreparable, so, good job to these guys in that sense. On top of that the movie was downright funny, especially as a South African, but from what Iv'e heard foreigners think this as well. Overall South African acting normally wouldn't warrant getting a -1 rating, but in this regard seeing high quality effects and the documentary style, everything fits well. 4/5
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Jan 18, 2011 11:32
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