'District 9' hits theaters
Alice Fisher | Staff Writer
Issue date: 8/27/09 Section: Lifestyles
After a long summer of movies bloated with gimmicky CGI effects and ridiculous plot points comes "District 9," the underdog of the summer movie season. "District 9," directed by Neill Blomkamp, is a fast-paced and well-thought-out thrill ride that never fails to hit its mark.
The movie is set in Johannesburg, South Africa, where 28 years earlier a spaceship arrives and stops over the city. Inside, the people find malnourished aliens crawling away in terror. Now, after having more than a few good meals, the aliens remain in the slums of District 9. The people aren't exactly throwing a Woodstock peace party, so Multi-National United (MNU) plans to evict them from their homes in District 9 and move them to District 10.
The beginning is interesting, albeit rather forgettable. Documentary-style scenes explain how the aliens arrived and show regular citizens' reactions to the aliens living on Earth. It isn't until later in the film that we are introduced to the protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe (played by the excellent Sharlto Copley), who is put in charge of evicting the aliens from District 9. Although at first Wikus is rough with the aliens as he hands out eviction notices, an unexpected event causes him to change his ways.
If all of this sounds a little bit too cerebral for your taste, fear not. Blomkamp keeps the fire burning with believable tension and an awesome robot at the end. Even if you are not that interested in the story, there are enough special effects and action to keep you sitting through the credits.
Visually, the movie is stunning. The special effects are brilliant in that they never want to grab your attention by standing out in a cartoonish fashion. Everything looks very organic and it's a breath of fresh air amongst the "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" style of cinema.
"District 9" does virtually everything right, down to the epic finisher. Blomkamp's message is sure to stay with you long after the credits roll.
The movie is set in Johannesburg, South Africa, where 28 years earlier a spaceship arrives and stops over the city. Inside, the people find malnourished aliens crawling away in terror. Now, after having more than a few good meals, the aliens remain in the slums of District 9. The people aren't exactly throwing a Woodstock peace party, so Multi-National United (MNU) plans to evict them from their homes in District 9 and move them to District 10.
The beginning is interesting, albeit rather forgettable. Documentary-style scenes explain how the aliens arrived and show regular citizens' reactions to the aliens living on Earth. It isn't until later in the film that we are introduced to the protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe (played by the excellent Sharlto Copley), who is put in charge of evicting the aliens from District 9. Although at first Wikus is rough with the aliens as he hands out eviction notices, an unexpected event causes him to change his ways.
If all of this sounds a little bit too cerebral for your taste, fear not. Blomkamp keeps the fire burning with believable tension and an awesome robot at the end. Even if you are not that interested in the story, there are enough special effects and action to keep you sitting through the credits.
Visually, the movie is stunning. The special effects are brilliant in that they never want to grab your attention by standing out in a cartoonish fashion. Everything looks very organic and it's a breath of fresh air amongst the "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" style of cinema.
"District 9" does virtually everything right, down to the epic finisher. Blomkamp's message is sure to stay with you long after the credits roll.
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