MOVIE REVIEW: DISTRICT 9

DISTRICT 9

Six of Seven Cows

As an adult (allegedly) it’s often frustrating how few action/science-fiction movies can be enjoyed by someone with a fully-formed cerebellum. All too often they are dumbed-down, relying on computer generated effects and clichéd thrills. Rare is the new film that’s not derivative of something you’ve already seen a thousand times. District 9, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neil Blomkamp, is an intelligent sci-fi thriller that works on enough levels to be satisfying for nearly anyone seeking summer thrills.

           

Set in Johannesburg, South Africa,  District 9 is undoubtedly meant to be a social commentary on apartheid, or race relations, or illegal immigration, or the Palestinian refugee problem, or something… whatever. As most films with similar ambitions, it’s great at raising questions but fails miserably at finding answers. Who cares? An alien ship has come to Earth with a million alien refugees on board, and being all politically-correct and touchy-feely, we give them a nice, comfy refugee camp to hang out in.  I’m guessing we’re meant to feel bad about something we’re doing to someone somewhere – this is a Hollywood movie with pretentions, after all – but it’s also a pretty groovy setting for making things go boom.

             

The movie is shot like a documentary, which is disorienting at times and non-sensical at others, but it does add a sense of realism. The aliens, in keeping with recent trends, are insect and/or crustacean-like and pretty believable. The digital trickery is pretty hard to detect. The only thing that doesn’t ring true is that there seems to be an awful lot of humans that are fluent in the alien language, and vice versa, but the movie doesn’t work otherwise so it’s forgivable.

             

Sharlto Copley leads the cast, and does an excellent job. Haven’t heard of him? Me neither – nor any of the others, as they are all presumably South African – but don’t let that deter you. Talent is a universal commodity, and this is a universally talented cast. Even the aliens are talented, and they’re computer generated.

             

There is some coarse language in District 9 so parents with young children take note, but aside from that there’s little to take offense at. There is violence, of course, but this is a sci-fi thriller, so that’s a given.

             

District 9 is not a bad way to close out the summer movie season, and in tandem with last week’s Julia and Juliet and next week’s Inglorious Bastards I may be looking at my very first three-positive-movie review run. I give District 9 six cows.