i was extremely excited for the release of this movie. finally it looked like something bold and fresh would be released in the sci-fi genre. the brilliant viral campaigning for this film, along with peter jackson's name being attached as a producer, definitely helped hype up the attention it received.let me first say that this movie is worth nearly all the attention it has received. it is truly a science fiction masterpiece, and one of the best films of the past year. neill blomkamp has crafted an exciting, completely original movie that is also a thinly veiled allegory and social commentary on the injustices of south africa. the documentary style helps create a sense of realism that normally would not exist in an alien action movie. i was enthralled throughout the entire experience, it was both unpredictable and original.
this was the first time in quite some time that my emotions were so well captured (anger, disgust, redemption) in a film. and the strangest part was that most of these emotions were sympathetic towards the aliens. that is the genius of blomkamp.
without giving anything away, the movie has two halves. the first part is mainly documentary style explaining the circumstances surrounding the terrestrial beings presence in johannesburg leading up to the turning point for the main character. the second half of the film is more action oriented. both parts work equally well, and i was not bored at any time.
sharlto copley, a fellow director friend of blomkamp is magnificent as the lead character. he plays a naive south afrikaner who is oblivious to the immoral actions he and his crew engage in. the scenes involving him in his office were similar to the humour present in the tv show 'the office,' and he also reminded of the character murray from 'flight of the conchords.' i was completely shocked by the fact that this was copley's first acting gig. he was phenomenal.
not enough can be said about district 9 and copley's performance. neill blomkamp has earned my full and undivided attention for any future projects he works on. however, i have that feeling that despite what he does from here, this will always be remembered as his masterpiece.
