District 9 (2009)

dir: Neill Blomkamp

Aliens land in South Africa and have no way home. Years later after living in a slum and wearing out their welcome the "Non-Humans" are being moved to a new tent city overseen by Multi-National United (MNU). The movie follows an MNU employee tasked with leading the relocation and his relationship with one of the alien leaders.

Cast:

Featured Reviews

DISTRICT 9: Cat food for the "prawns" and caviar to the general

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/3432/1885858.jpg Cat food for the "prawns" and caviar to the general How odd to set a sci-fi horror movie in and around Johannesburg, South Africa. That's where a big fuzzy looking space ship has been hovering in the air for twenty years, we're told during the mocumentary footage at the outset of Neill Blomkamp's District 9 explaining how a gang ...

EmilyBrown wrote about District 9

This movie impressed me - if you haven't seen it - rent it!

10 stars

ValVincent wrote about District 9

District 9 can be unnerving at times. But it's a well executed sci-fi mockumentary. And it's capable of filling you with disgust---for the Human race. A very unique experience.

9 stars

tristanjosephmorgan wrote about District 9

A fresh, clever take on the sci-fi alien encounter film. It poses intellectual questions about multi-culturalism, immigration, terrorism, the weapons industry, mercenary security forces, and general xenophobia, but still manages to be an exhilerating ride with a fantastic CGI to back everything up. The CGI is astounding and rarely, if ever, even comes close to anouncing itself or ruining the viewer's complete immersement in the alternative reality of modern day Jo-burg.

8 stars

wolfnotes wrote about District 9

Starts promisingly, but story logic and action become increasingly videogame-like.

4 stars

magb wrote about District 9

The documentary style got a bit out of hand at times, but overall this was an engaging film. What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for by being unusual and thought-provoking. I will say that it was kind of disappointing how it turned into a standard action flick at the end -- and not a particularly great one either.

8 stars

FitFortDanga wrote about District 9

The effects are impressive and some of the social commentary is intriguing, but it's marred by poor filmmaking decisions. Never mind the veritable mountain of unanswered questions. The documentary style hurts a lot more than it helps. Blomkamp uses it to add a dimension of realism, but abandons it when it suits his purposes. And the allegorical nature of the film is extremely blunt, almost insultingly so at times. I didn't outright hate the movie, but it was pretty disappointing.

7 stars

Stain wrote about District 9

This kind of story has been done before, people -- remember _Alien Nation_? That being said, this movie uses that basic idea and does it better than _Alien Nation_ did, plus it brings in a number of other good ideas. I can't remember any other sf film set in South Africa. This movie also has the stupidest sf "hero" since _The Lawnmower Man_ -- and that's a good thing, 'cause he's an interesting character. This is a fresh, well-done movie, helped along enormously by great special effects

9 stars

swimpool wrote about District 9

I like it. actually when I was first watch the film, I felt a little bit bore, but as the movie going on, it really attract me..http://www.behindthehype.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/district-9-trailer.jpg

andrekanamura wrote about District 9

Not bad... Visually very realistic (not as good as Avatar though). The action is very entertaining and the plot is kind of interesting. I like it, but I don't feel like watching again...

6 stars

emtilt wrote about District 9

Decent, but not great. Could've been better. Plot holes abound, message is unbelievably heavy-handed and lacking in subtlety, and several problems detract from that message, including simplistic characters, action cliches, and inconsistent cinematography style. I also question the extreme anthropomorphization of the aliens. While perhaps it serves to make the comparison to our treatment of other human populations absurdly obvious, I think it would have been more interesting without it.

6 stars

elega wrote about District 9

Usually I do not like science fiction movies, but this film is amazing ....

7 stars

thaklos wrote about District 9

This movie was an incredible blend of science fiction, drama, and action. It progressed nicely, with an incredibly interesting back story leading into some stunning action sequences, all the more impressive considering the relatively low budget of the film. I also loved the transition from documentary to narrative film making, it was done nicely, without overusing shaky camera movements. Copley showed some nice range, and played his complex character very well.

9 stars

michuk wrote about District 9

This is some original piece of film science fiction, eventually. Created by a craftsman, not an artist, but the craft is prime sort. Good acting, good plot, a bit clumsy direction at times but the special effects and the fast pace make it a decent action movie that goes beyond typical "good and bad" type of feature. Nothing super-spectacular but interesting and watchable. And the aliens/prawns are so cute!

7 stars

Spunkie wrote about District 9

Plus 1 to the "had great potential but barely scratches the surface" list.

6 stars

STR1K3R_67 wrote about District 9

(Spoiler) The movie was REALLY good after it picked up, about the time Wikus van der Merwe get sprayed by some dark brown liquid from a silver canister. The movie becomes severely action packed from their and becomes phenomenal.

9 stars

Derekstar wrote about District 9

The first 30 minutes, where the film adheres strictly to a documentary style, is slightly boring. I found myself saying "yes, we all get what you're saying here, move on." All of a sudden the movie shifts, and the documentary style is abruptly and jarringly abandoned. Luckily, at this point alien laser guns and explosions are introduced, which promptly re-captivated my interest. As with many science fiction movies, the ideas introduced here are much more interesting than the film itself.

8 stars