I respect everyone's right to disagree with this, but District 9 is one of my favorite movies of 2009 (along with Up!, which is my top pick for 2009). In the past year, with the writer's strike, and with the fact that there are a lot of Hollywood movies that are based on books/toys/remakes, District 9 was a breath of fresh (yet horrifying) air.
Other than The Dark Knight, I really don't feel that there was a "great" film of 2008. I did see Slumdog Millionaire, and it was good, but I didn't get the "life changing experience" feel that so many others claim to have. (And I would like to apologize in advance for the excessive use of quotes that are sure to ensue in this review). I feel that in any other film year, Slumdog would have probably been nominated but certainly wouldn't have won the Oscar.
And don't get me started on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Beautifully filmed? You bet. Some great acting performances (from Brad Pitt and Tilda Swindon)? Of course. What else? Not much. This movie to me was a story that was trying so hard to be Forest Gump (and many have noted the similarities in the stories), but I am talking even more about the fact that BB tried SO hard to have quirky characters (like the two brothers on the ship that fought the second they got on land) that felt contrived. The characters in Forest Gump flowed well and were written well, and didn't feel forced. The other thing I just couldn't get over were the distracting and overacted (which shocked me considering it was Cate Blanchet, who can't do wrong typically) scenes with Cate Blanchet's character as an older woman in the hospital. I could go on for days, but I won't. It's one of the few movies I have ever seen that I couldn't even get through. I know there are a lot of people who did like it, but I am a script girl, and this one failed in that aspect, and thus lost me.
Even in 2009 so far, I haven't seen many films (other than Up! - and Pixar, I believe, is never going to do me wrong) that I felt excited about. I was even let down a bit by Harry Potter 6 (I liked it, but I liked the last movie better). So, needless to say, Bryan has had to all but drag me to the theatre anymore to see anything. That was the case today too with District 9 (which I actually WANTED to see).
I won't expand more on the plot other than what the trailer shows you, but I can say that I think it is one of the most original stories you will ever see. I also think it was the most different sci-fi and just film in general that I have seen in a long time. It was filmed in a documentary style, and the first five minutes create such a mystery. They describe how the aliens came, what District 9 is, introduce and tell us quite a bit about our lead male character, and let us know that he does something horrible. Something that those interviewed will never forgive him for. But they don't say what. That is the brilliance.
I also liked that the aliens were treated in a way that I (at least) have never seen before. Most alien movies the aliens are either friends or attacking us. In this movie, they are hostages. It's a sci-fi film that takes place in South Africa and makes some huge (and not hidden in any way) social commentary on what takes place in these slums, but I think that choosing aliens to show this is really inventive.
I have to give a huge amount of accolades to Sharlto Copley, who I believe gave one of the best acting performances I have seen in a while. The range of emotion he had to show in this film is remarkable, and I am completely impressed with his performance.
The effects were also amazing. I think that the gritty hand-held camera work helped to make the prawns (aliens) seem a little more blended into the scene. And the ship hangs over the city in a very ominous (but almost natural) way throughout the film.
One of the biggest criticisms I have read about this film is that the end turns into more of a shoot-em-up type movie, and I am not going to lie, it does. However, the first half is so incredibly intense, I feel that the filmmaker was almost helping the audience by doing this. It was almost a little bit of a release from such a tense beginning.
I would give this a recommendation to those of you that like sci-fi films and can deal with some gore. I will definitely be seeing it again. Until next time, happy viewing!
