08-20-2009, 10:29 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-20-2009, 10:59 AM by 17th Knight.)
0
[review=DISTRICT 9 site=http://www.impawards.com/2009/posters/district_nine.jpg cover=http://www.impawards.com/2009/posters/district_nine.jpg]
District 9 is a story about many things. It's the story of a father trying to save his son; an immoral man who must find the good in himself by righting the wrongs he helped perpetrate against innocents; a stark reminder of the inhumanity present in mankind; and ultimately a sci-fi epic that is possibly one of the best movies of the year.
What makes District 9 particularly startling in how fantastic it is is that it is Neill Blomkamp's first feature-length movie. Up to this point he has primarily been a 3-D animator. Blomkamp showed a short film to Peter Jackson (Director of Lord of the Rings and King Kong) who was so convinced by his talent and vision that he gave him whatever resources he needed to make the movie. The result is District 9, and it is highly evident that Neill Blomkamp is going to be a remarkable director.
The story of District 9 is somewhat simple. 20 years ago an alien ship stopped over Johannesburg, South Africa. The ship was disabled, the creatures inside malnourished, their leadership gone, and they had nowhere to go. Humans tried to make a place for them, but in the end the aliens were stuffed in a hovel named District 9. A man named Wikus is a bureaucrat for the agency named MNU who is in charge of District 9 and alien oversights. Through the course of 3 days his eyes are opened to what has been done to these creatures, and he and Christopher will try to save them.
I really don't want to get more into it than that as the movie plays out more like a documentary than a normal movie. It begins as a documentary, switches to a cat-and-mouse action movie, and ultimately returns to a documentary. The style is fantastic, obviously a sign of a skilled director. You become absolutely engrossed in the tiny details and interesting things that people are talking about while being interviewed, only to be side-swiped by a major battle, then switching back to fascinating interviews. What makes it work so well is that you are engrossed by the slow moments and on the edge of your seat during the action.
The musical score works perfectly, almost unnoticed as it perfectly rises and falls with every emotional moment.
The special effects are fairly good, though now and then it becomes apparent the aliens are CG, ultimately that's just the pitfalls of any CG character. For being as thoroughly animated as it is, the movie flows beautifully and has a VERY gritty and realistic feel.
The acting is superb, from start to finish, with the man playing our protagonist, Wikus, being of particular note. His performance is fantastic, and has interesting undertones as the character of Wikus isn't actually that likable of a person. He is a somewhat cowardly and weak bureaucrat who has done much evil in his life. And yet, as the movie shows the inhumanity in each of us, inside Wikus is a person of conscience.
There are some plot holes, though not very glaring ones. The aliens are, ultimately, alien and so you can't expect for them to behave or act as a human would in many situations. That said, there are still moments after the movie where you'll say "why didn't they do this". The nice thing about Sci-Fi is that you're always given ways to explain it away and overanalyzing any movie is always a bad idea.
District 9 is a powerfully made, breathtaking, moving, brutal, visceral movie that cuts right to the core of morality, love, and heroism. I highly recommend it and I can only hope there's a sequel...
In 3 years.
out of 5, easily.[/review]
District 9 is a story about many things. It's the story of a father trying to save his son; an immoral man who must find the good in himself by righting the wrongs he helped perpetrate against innocents; a stark reminder of the inhumanity present in mankind; and ultimately a sci-fi epic that is possibly one of the best movies of the year.
What makes District 9 particularly startling in how fantastic it is is that it is Neill Blomkamp's first feature-length movie. Up to this point he has primarily been a 3-D animator. Blomkamp showed a short film to Peter Jackson (Director of Lord of the Rings and King Kong) who was so convinced by his talent and vision that he gave him whatever resources he needed to make the movie. The result is District 9, and it is highly evident that Neill Blomkamp is going to be a remarkable director.
The story of District 9 is somewhat simple. 20 years ago an alien ship stopped over Johannesburg, South Africa. The ship was disabled, the creatures inside malnourished, their leadership gone, and they had nowhere to go. Humans tried to make a place for them, but in the end the aliens were stuffed in a hovel named District 9. A man named Wikus is a bureaucrat for the agency named MNU who is in charge of District 9 and alien oversights. Through the course of 3 days his eyes are opened to what has been done to these creatures, and he and Christopher will try to save them.
I really don't want to get more into it than that as the movie plays out more like a documentary than a normal movie. It begins as a documentary, switches to a cat-and-mouse action movie, and ultimately returns to a documentary. The style is fantastic, obviously a sign of a skilled director. You become absolutely engrossed in the tiny details and interesting things that people are talking about while being interviewed, only to be side-swiped by a major battle, then switching back to fascinating interviews. What makes it work so well is that you are engrossed by the slow moments and on the edge of your seat during the action.
The musical score works perfectly, almost unnoticed as it perfectly rises and falls with every emotional moment.
The special effects are fairly good, though now and then it becomes apparent the aliens are CG, ultimately that's just the pitfalls of any CG character. For being as thoroughly animated as it is, the movie flows beautifully and has a VERY gritty and realistic feel.
The acting is superb, from start to finish, with the man playing our protagonist, Wikus, being of particular note. His performance is fantastic, and has interesting undertones as the character of Wikus isn't actually that likable of a person. He is a somewhat cowardly and weak bureaucrat who has done much evil in his life. And yet, as the movie shows the inhumanity in each of us, inside Wikus is a person of conscience.
There are some plot holes, though not very glaring ones. The aliens are, ultimately, alien and so you can't expect for them to behave or act as a human would in many situations. That said, there are still moments after the movie where you'll say "why didn't they do this". The nice thing about Sci-Fi is that you're always given ways to explain it away and overanalyzing any movie is always a bad idea.
District 9 is a powerfully made, breathtaking, moving, brutal, visceral movie that cuts right to the core of morality, love, and heroism. I highly recommend it and I can only hope there's a sequel...
In 3 years.
out of 5, easily.[/review]
Debs
