Review: District 9

I’m not going to go into a summary of the film, because I went in knowing really nothing more than the trailer, so I say watch that here and go in relatively fresh. What I will say is District 9 is a loose allegory on racial prejudice and injustice, without really laying on the politics too thick.

What I will say about District 9 is that it is probably the most intriguing film I’ve seen since There Will Be Blood. It is not really what you expect and its amalgamation of different styles of storytelling really set it apart from most other films in the science fiction genre. Again, there isn’t much I want to give away so bare with me if I don’t go into it very far.

The other thing that I know I felt, and others who I saw it with would agree, is that the film is tremendously intense. There are but a few dull moments on screen; you are fully engaged in this story. From a broad perspective the story isn’t anything that inventive, but that is not the draw of the film. Its the intensity, which for me reminded me of the first time I saw a few of Stanley Kubrick’s films. That is pretty high praise, but in terms of how engaging the film is, I would say its fair.

The film was directed by first time feature director Neill Blomkamp, and produced by Peter Jackson. You have to give Jackson credit for having this much faith in the fledgling director, but Blomkamp’s 6 minute short that the film was based on, Alive in Joburg, showed a lot of promise and I think Blomkamp successfully expanded on his story.

Past that, I thought Sharlto Copley’s lead performance was a big part of establishing the type of emotion and intensity throughout; he is definitely the heart of the film.

District 9 is not going to be for everybody, though I would say almost all viewers will be enthralled into this capitivating world that Blomkamp has created.

Grade: A or ★★★★ ½ (Out of 5)