‘D9’ fresh, innovative (4.5/5)

District 9

Starring: Sharlto Copley, William Allen Young, Robert Hobbs.
Directed by: Neill Blomkamp.
Rating: R for bloody violence and pervasive language.
Running time: 1 hours, 52 minutes.

Whatever you think “District 9” is — it’s not.

In an industry consumed by sequels, book adaptations and rehashed plotlines, director Neill  Blomkamp blows away the Hollywood norm in an explosion of innovation, blood and CGI splendor.

“District 9” is considered a remake of  Blomkamp’s 2005 six-minute effort “Alive in Joburg” (which you can find in its entirety on YouTube). But, having seen both, I’d rather classify “District 9” as an extension of the shorter movie. If you haven’t seen “District 9” yet, watching “Alive in Joburg” shouldn’t ruin any of the main feature; however, I would recommend watching “Joburg” after “District 9,” if only to have a completely fresh experience.

One of the coolest things about this movie is that it was never supposed to be made. Peter Jackson (esteemed director of “Lord of the Rings” and the “King Kong” remake) was set to produce a movie with Blomkamp at the helm based on the popular video game franchise “Halo.” When that project fell through, Jackson is rumored to have offered  Blomkamp $30 million to make whatever he wanted (a sum the movie made back in just its first weekend).

With “District 9,” Blomkamp proved that a movie doesn’t  need an excessive budget to be a good film. Take “Spiderman 3” for example — even a $258 million budget couldn’t save that poor excuse for a superhero movie — which is saying a lot because I really hate the “Fantastic 4” series (Jessica Alba can not act, I don’t care how pretty she is).

Too, I may have seen only two or three previews for this movie before I saw it (as opposed to other films where you see a preview a day for six months), but the oft-forgotten power of word-of-mouth really gave me high hopes for “District 9” — which  Blomkamp exceeded in every way possible.

The basic premise of the movie is that a group of aliens somehow became stranded in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1980. The majority of the movie takes place in 2010, with the aliens segregated into the Johannesburg slum known as “District 9.” The South Africans are not happy with the aliens living in such close proximity — and so MNU (Multi-National United — a fictional technology innovation organization) charges field operative Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) with the task of evicting and moving all of the aliens to a remote location.

And that’s as much as I’m going to tell you. A big contributing factor to making this movie extraordinary was not having a clue as to how it would unfold.

Copley, who never intended on becoming an actor, truly inhabits the character of Wikus. His performance is so convincing that the fact that he’s playing counter CGI aliens seems perfectly normal. Too, it’s refreshing to see new actors take on large roles (something Peter Jackson himself insisted on with “The Lord of the Rings”). Copley is able to draw an audience into the plot without being distracted by a celebrity status in a way that Brad Pitt or Tom Hanks wouldn’t, or couldn’t.

“District 9” is an amazing ride, from the mockumentary style to the mind-blowing (pun assuredly intended) alien weaponry. My boyfriend maintains that I hate action movies simply because I think that Bruce Willis acts exactly the same in every one, but let me assure you that I can appreciate well-crafted gore as much as the next person — something that “District 9” definitely cashed in on.


Blomkamp does not skimp on the blood, at times making you cringe away in horror while at other times leaving you slack jawed in amazement. My sole request with this movie is that they don’t ruin it with a sequel.

I greatly look forward to  Blomkamp’s next effort, and whether it be “Halo” or “The Wiggles,” “District 9” has unleashed a fresh, powerful directorial force.

4.5 of 5