I haven’t had sympathy for an alien like this since E.T.…

I know it doesn’t show it too much in the trailer, but the emotional portrayal of the aliens in District 9 is as engrossing as the action is. I’m sure you’ll be hearing much, much more about this film in the next few months.

District 9, a film written and directed by Neill Blomkamp (yes that Neill B. from HALO film fame), is a guaranteed “sleeper hit” for 2009. Blomkamp has almost crafted a new genre in the industry, “docu-action” films. The movie starts as almost a straight up documentary and then seamlessly moves into an action/adventure/sci-fi. The young film maker worked hard under the wing of Peter Jackson throughout the whole process. Peter Jackson felt bad that Neill was unable to get the HALO feature film on its feet so he helped back him in a new venture. (Peter Jackson’s WETA DIGITAL helped in the production of the HALO short films.) While looking through Neill’s older short films (a recommended viewing for sure), he and Mr. Jackson both agreed “Alive in Joburg” (watch before seeing District 9 to see the inspiration) was the strongest and lent itself to a rich universe for storytelling.

District 9 takes place in present day South Africa. Aliens have been living in amongst humans for about 20 years. Over the years the aliens have developed a small community known to the public as, “District 9.” Illegal acts and general hatred towards the “prawns” have surrounded the area.

Once the government decides to move the aliens to a new area outside of Johannesburg, chaos ensues.

I won’t tell much more, for fear of ruining the film for you. If you hate spoilers as much as I do, you’ll appreciate me keeping my mouth shut. The beauty of District 9 is its ability to show just enough for you to enjoy the film. It doesn’t explain the full back stories of the aliens, it doesn’t explain much of the technology, it doesn’t even explain what happens to some of the characters at the end of the film. The great thing is, I don’t think it needs to. The digital effects and story line are woven together so well it’s believable without having to over explain itself. All you know is that these alien creatures, who once had a purpose, are now misguided, confused, and stuck on Earth. There are so many little nuggets of goodness in District 9. The movie is well made in almost every way. The story is well written, the directing is great, the digital and sound effects are amazing, the acting is believable (rare for such an effects heavy film), and the little sprinkles of humor are a delight. There are moments where you actually feel sad for the aliens in their persecution from the humans. Look at the aliens themselves. The locals in Johannesburg give the nickname “prawn” to the insect/crustacean race. “Prawn” is almost a play off the word, “pawn.” Pawns are useless without their king or queen in chess. These aliens are mindless without their leader on Earth. Genius writing!

You would think, “Well, if Peter Jackson if helping produce this then it must be big budget, and it HAS to be good.” Wrong. This film could of been as lame as any of the other independent sci-fi films out there. D-9 was made with a virtually unknown director, a small time actor in a lead role, and only a $30 million budget. (Peanuts my friend, peanuts for Hollywood sci-fi films.) To put it into perspective, Transformers 2 was said to have been made on a budget of over $150 million budget, and all the eye candy of a cast on Gossip Girl. Some of the special effects in D-9 rivaled Transformers 2, I think. The creature effects were fluid and the action never felt like watching a video game.

There really isn’t much more to say except that if you like: Sci-fi’s, documentaries, special effects, Peter Jackson, alien technology, South Africa, “sweeties,” mech’s, pig launching, vomit, baby aliens, or just GOOD MOVIES… GO SEE DISTRICT 9!! Support good indy films and an upcoming director (Neill Blomkamp) and actor (Sharlto Copley)!

-“Ash”

Some sites to check out:

http://www.district9movie.com/
http://www.multinationalunited.com/training/
http://www.d-9.com/
http://www.multinationalunited.com/
http://www.mnuspreadslies.com/
http://www.mathsfromouterspace.com/

P.S. August 21st is AVATAR DAY! Don’t forget to go check out a sneak peak (in glorious IMAX 3D) of one of the most anticipated films from James Cameron since T2!!

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