District 9

Ok so I had a night were I watched this and THE FOURTH KIND. As I wrote earlier in the week I hated TFK, but I really, really, liked DISTRICT 9. Going in I had heard differing opinions from friends/family. Some loved it and some thought it was a complete waste of time. My opinion landed somewhere in the middle I suppose. I really enjoyed the complete new world they created for us within District 9 and the outlying areas. These “Prawns” turned our world on its hinge, and they did an excellent job creating this whole new environment for us, and it was completely believable. From the very beginning we introduced to the Prawns (aliens) via news report and it gives the viewers a straight choice – either jump in and experience the ride keeping with that consistent level suspension of disbelief, or throw it out the window from the very beginning. I was willing to give it a try, so I continued onward in my 114 minute journey.

District 9 Trailer Here

The film’s story isn’t anything spectacular. However, it is extremely unique and entertaining. What it lacks is some of the standard vehicles amazing, story-driven films have where we see character arc, realizations, etc. (There are a few though, but they aren’t meant to be profound to impact the plots trajectory.) It is a visual spectacle, probably one of the most brilliant films I have watched on bluray to date. If only they could get the classics to pop this much, but I understand why they fall short in the transfers. They only have some much to work with from the get-go. The aliens look realistic for the most part. There are a few moments where the CG looks really, really bad and it takes away from the film. But the close-ups of the Prawns and the aerial shots that pervade the film are breathtaking.

Set in Johannesburg ion South Africa these aliens come to earth and their ship rests above the city. We have to go up and finally break into the craft to find them all dying from dehydration, or whatever. We bring them all down to earth and begin to care for them. Eventually the healthy ones are placed into quazi-concentration camps called District 9. It’s like the ghetto part of the city where millions of prawns are living. The story is that they have to be moved out further away from the city. Here we meet the main character who is a bit nerdy, but likable in his seemingly innocent ways. They begin to issue eviction notices to the aliens and they drive them out. The main character gets sprayed by some chemical substance and begins to turn into a prawn himself. Then everyone wants him because as a prawn he can shoot their weapons. From there the film turns into a run-n-gun, but maintains a lot of freshness in terms of weaponry, vehicles, and new dilemmas for the heroes to overcome. It never becomes too stale and monotonous.

This is a well done visual spectacle that takes you to a completely new world. If you give into it at the beginning then you will enjoy the ride. I know I did. It won’t stand alone throughout the annuls of cinematic history, but it was a fun film nonetheless.

Rating: 8/10