Film Rating: A
Wow.
Some movies leave me with lots to say, and from my fingertips flow pages upon pages of thought. But others leave me speechless, unsure of how to describe the film or what my exact thoughts on it are.
District 9 belongs to the latter category, and as such, I don't expect this to be a lengthily review.
It's a movie that, by all common logic, probably shouldn't be as spellbinding as it is. It was made with a miniscule $30 million budget (less than most romantic comedies get) by a first-time director. But that's why
District 9 is such a breath of fresh air. It reminds us that all you really need in order to make a good movie is a great idea, a passionate filmmaking team, and lots of creativity. In today's studio controlled, mainstream-oriented film world, movies rarely possess those three things.
In fact, that idea cannot be applied better to any genre save that of Science-Fiction, which has, over the past few years, slowly given itself over to movies like
Transformers. But good science fiction is about ideas and messages, stories with morals that use grandiose metaphor to pull us in. The recent Indie-flick
Moon was a perfect example of great sci-fi-it had virtually no budget, and relied on a great premise and the terrific execution of that premise.
District 9 is like that, but on an infinitely bigger scale. It's a visual spectacle, an immensely thrilling action movie, but at the core of all that is a wonderful idea and a brilliant story. I wouldn't dream of divulging any of it here-you need to see this movie without prior knowledge of what it's all about. All I'll say is that it's about aliens living among us-or apart from us. It's about what happens when humanity encounters something foreign or different. The fact that the film is set in South Africa informs the film's messages on a profound scale-it's not just that director Neill Blomkamp is a native of the area.
The ideas are big-big enough to write an essay on, but they need to be interpreted by the individual viewer, and this is not the place to discuss them. Suffice to say,
District 9 is a perfect example of special effects working in service to the story, not the other way around. The CGI on the aliens is flawless-all the SFX are. Without them, this story simply could not be told, and that's how I like to see CGI utilized. Similarly, while the film is full of action, none of it is for the sake of cheap thrills. Each set-piece feels totally organic to the story-and because of the strength of the story, and more importantly, the characters, you won't find many more movies with more thrilling action.
Neill Blomkamp is surely a visionary-this being his very first film proves that, and I can't wait to see what he does next. He was the guy attached to direct the
Halo movie, and
District 9 proves that no other director out there could do that movie better. Similarly, I expect a long and successful career for lead actor Sharlto Copley, who effortlessly makes the main character likeable despite his obvious flaws.
I'm not sure quite what to make of
District 9, except that it is a brilliant masterpiece of the sci-fi genre, one that deserves to be embraced by mass audiences. Given the film's box-office numbers so far, that seems to be happening, which surprises me. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but mainstream audiences don't seem clever enough to digest such a dark, intense, and thoughtful piece. But I like being proven wrong on these matters. Go see it if you haven't already, because reviews can do you no good. This is a film ripe for discussion, and that can only happen when a roomful of people have experienced it.