Monday, August 17, 2009

District 9 - new old story

District 9 - Rated R (violence) Run time 112 mins
Produced by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and directed by Neill Blomkamp, the sci fi movie takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa and opens with an explanation of events that occurred twenty years prior when an alien ship settled above the area. The movie is said to be a reference to aparteid and its handling of relocation of "non-whites" from District Six in the 1960s.


Though I did have flashbacks to past alien movies (The Fly, Enemy Mine) I thought it was pretty original & very well done -- great use of hand held camera angles gave it a documentary feel. Lots of suspense and action -- without guessing what's going to happen next. Virtually unknown actors here in US also allow us to focus on actual story. The main character, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), is expertly played as a bit nerdy underling getting his shot at a top position in his company. As with all great sci-fi stories, the "who is the monster?" storyline is done well! A great flick -- and I'm sure an anticipated video game.
http://www.district9movie.com/

Though I am a Star Trek fan, I will say this is probably one of the best Sci Fi movies in a long while that general audiences will like.

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