"District 9" is not a revelation, but it is a solid piece of genre filmmaking and one of the better movies of summer 2009.
District 9 (2009)
Directors: Neil Blomkamp
Producers: Peter Jackson
Writers: Neil Blomkamp
Features: Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. Running Time: 112 Min. In U.S. theaters: August 14, 2009.
Characters:
Sharlto Copley ... Wikus Van De Merwe
Vanessa Haywood ... Tania Van De Merwe
William Allen Young ... Dirk Michaels
Robert Hobbs ... Ross Pienaar
Genre: Science-Fiction
Review:
Reserve your tickets for "District 9" at Fandango:
Summer 2009 has been a major letdown. "Harry Potter" was good, but somewhat disappointing. "Land of the Lost" fizzled. "Year One" tanked. "Up" made some serious cash, but there was little chatter about the film. "Transformers 2" was a major letdown and "Terminator Salvation" barely registered with mainstream viewers.
With "Star Trek," a film that opened in early May, and "The Hangover," a comedy, being the only two films to really held their buzz through the summer, it comes as no surprise that "District 9" has become one of 2009’s most anticipated releases. In a summer of dreck, the Peter Jackson-produced indie is a refreshing change of pace.
"District 9" is directed by relative newcomer Neil Blomkamp (known for his "Halo" short film). Part documentary, part narrative, the film takes place in an alternate version of common day South Africa in which an alien race has landed here (nearly 20 years ago) and infested the slums, bringing even more poverty and crime to the area. Unable to connect to our culture, this prawn-like alien race, and their presence in South African slums, has become a major hot-button issue for government officials, who want nothing more than to see this species leave our planet for good.
The MNU (Multi-National United), a contracted agency in charge of alien affairs, is given the difficult task of serving eviction notices to the aliens (they will be moved to a concentration camp-like environment). Enter goofy office bureaucrat Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley), a lowly company stooge who’s been put in charge of serving the notices. Wikus seemingly has no idea the danger of his new promotion and blindly enters the slum thinking everything will go "as planned."
But things don’t go according to plan. Wikis comes in contact with a strange alien substance that begins to mutate his body into one of the alien creatures. The government is interested in using Wikis as a weapon since he is the only human who can use alien-encrypted weaponry and technology. But Wikis just wants to return to his human form so he can reunite with his wife (Vanessa Haywood).
"District 9" is a film with many things going on, and in some cases, there’s almost too much going on, though most of it is quite fascinating. The film is part social commentary -- a moral tale about the dangers of combating the unknown. It’s part immigration commentary, with the alien species serving as an unwanted guest. It’s part political commentary, with the government hoping to indulge in deadly alien weaponry. The film also weaves a few other themes into the picture -- trust, loyalty and friendship, just to name a few.
The documentary style is well employed, much better than films like "Cloverfield" or "Blair Witch." This isn’t a movie that tries to envelop its audience in shaky, nauseating digital video for 90 minutes. Blomkamp is quick to switch the style and tone of his shooting medium (from video to film) to best suit his narrative.
The visuals of the film are astonishing. Blomkamp and his team of production designers paint the picture with dreary intensity, giving life to the slums, coldness to the MNU offices and moody atmosphere to the alien artifacts and machinery. CG effects are equally astonishing. While some shots do look a touch artificial, the aliens themselves are wonderful creations -- never feeling out of place, as though they’ve been added to the film in post-production. There are times when it’s honestly hard to tell if costumes or CG is being employed.
In some ways, the material isn’t exactly fresh, though Blomkamp does his best to liven up the narrative as often as he can. Playing as a variant of "Alien Nation," "V" and the role-playing game "Mutant Chronicles," by way of Cronenberg’s "The Fly," the film is brash, abrasive, dark, scary and loaded with commentary, but also packed tight with intense gore that rivals 2008’s "Rambo." Blomkamp also indulges in the nasty, gooey fleshy bug-like transition Wikus must endure as he transforms from man to alien. It’s often hard to watch, but engrossing nonetheless.
Sometimes though, Blomkamp lays the homage on a bit too thick lifting entire scenes from other, classic sci-fi books and films (particularly Cronenberg’s "The Fly"). While most newcomers will likely have never seen the source films he’s borrowing from, sci-fi aficionados might find it a touch annoying.
Newcomer Sharlto Copley has the makings of a great star. Baring an odd resemblance to Clive Owen (with a slight dash of Daniel Craig), Copley sinks completely into his character, providing a shaky voice for the audience. Wikus is a surprisingly complex anti-hero. He’s not always likable, often coming off as a racist bureaucrat and a painfully single-minded boob. But this only adds flavor to this oddly refreshing tale as Wikus must make a difficult transition from stooge to hero.
"District 9" is not a revelation, but it is a solid piece of genre filmmaking and one of the better movies of summer 2009. The picture is exciting, scary, and emotionally complex. This isn’t just another point-and-shoot sci-fi action picture, and because of the dizzyingly complicated layers, "District 9" very nearly deserves the buzz it’s received.
Film Report Card:
Entertainment Value: A-
Film Value: B
Final Grade:
B+
Recommendation: See it in theaters.
In theaters: August 14, 2009.
***
________
* Follow DVDFuture on TWITTER for the latest in Blu-ray and DVD news and reviews!
* Email Me with Comments, Concerns, Questions and Complaints regarding this review, but please, be nice.
...746...
----R. L. Shaffer