The idea of a space ship "breaking down" over Johannesburg, South Africa is so outlandish as to be relegated to a Saturday afternoon Syfy flick. District 9, however, is more than a Syfy movie or than most movies one might see this year.
Directed by first time directer Neill Blomkamp, produced by Oscar winner, Peter Jackson, and starring nobody that anyone outside their families have ever heard of, District 9 is a thought provoking, digital wonderland. Part Cloverfield, part Alien and part Black Hawk Down, the movie is a apartheid allegory of sorts, a love story on another level, an action story and a look at how we deal with those different from "us" on yet another level. "While District 9 delivers thrills and chills to spare…what lingers is the casualness with which we are willing to reduce others to sub-human conditions," writes Robert Newton.
Throw in more plot twists than a box full of Hitchcock DVDs and it’s quite a feat for anyone, much less a first timer. And speaking of first timers, lead actor, Sharlto Copley gives a dizzying turn as the government representative charged with relocating more than a million aliens from District 9 to the new refugee camp 240 km from Johannesburg, District 10. Alternately, funny, angry, hopeful and hopeless, his is an astounding performance.
District 9 is rated R for graphic violence toward aliens and humans, gore and pervasive use of the f-bomb.
District 9 is available for purchase beginning December 29, 2009. DVD or Blue-Ray disc may be purchased through Amazon.com by clicking on the links or images below.
