District 9

District 9 is a provocative science fiction drama. Directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson the film is a thought provoking portrayal of humanity which will shock but resonate. The documentary style filming give the film the realism needed to draw in viewers and keeps them in the grip of the story.

Abandoning the usual settings of Hollywood sci-fi and placing the film in the harsh slums of South Africa is a masterstroke. Also no celebrity names here, all unfamiliar actors but who still give solid performances. It's dark and moving with a story that is well told and that grips right from the beginning. A story which is almost saying that all humans are selfish driven by greed and vanity. Which is why this movie pulls no punches, hardly anyone comes out of it smelling of roses.

Blomkamp has managed to create aliens that are grotesque in appearance but yet display just enough feeling that made me care for their predicament something that the other humans in the Movie lack. The effects are genuinely good and don't look cheap with imaginative weaponry.

District 9 begins as a mock documentary about the imminent eviction of extraterrestrials from a pathetic shantytown (called District 9). The creatures, it turns out, have been on Earth for years, having arrived sickly and starving. Against this backdrop is a more personal story about a bureaucrat named Wikus (Sharlto Copley) who is accidentally exposed to a DNA-altering substance.

Cinema release 2009

Certificate 15

Available on DVD and Blue Ray