Featured Audience Ratings

• John M

  
  A gory sci fi smorgasbord with an amazing message.

• Alexander D

  
  It was nominated for Best Picture, I think, but if you've read the "Movies I Don't Enjoy" page on my BLOG, excessive use of the F-bomb is not my thing.

• Mike S

  
  Just when I thought that the sci-fi genre had run out of originality, along came this film and rekindled my hope again. Taking a plot about aliens stranded on Earth, and shooting it in this realistic, documentary-like way, is nothing less than a stroke of genius. Now, I know Peter… More
  Just when I thought that the sci-fi genre had run out of originality, along came this film and rekindled my hope again. Taking a plot about aliens stranded on Earth, and shooting it in this realistic, documentary-like way, is nothing less than a stroke of genius. Now, I know Peter Jackson isn't technically the director, but his creative spirit can still be sensed through the celluloid and permeates the film as a whole. Especially as it comes to the special effects, which is some of the best I've ever seen. The aliens, altough 100% CGI, are amazingly life-like and so real you can almost touch them. Never for a moment did I think they looked fake. So an applaudable job by Weta there. Also, unlike most Hollywood productions, the movie got better and better as it went along, leaving me in constant anticipation about what would happen next. A truly captivating story and one of my favourite films of 2009. Highly recommended! Update (2013-02-23): Still as awesome as I remember it, although it didn't really occur to me until now what a despicable character Wikus is; expressing excitement as they're torching down a shack full of alien eggs, comparing it to popcorn as we hear the "aborted" prawn babies pop out of their shells. Not exactly a good foundation to feeling sympathy for him later. Even so, a brilliant film on the whole; the second viewing of which has made me more thrilled about Blomkamp's next sci-fi endeavour, the intriguing-looking "Elysium". http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikes-Movie-Reviews/281824101875153?ref=hl

• Daniel M

  
  In my review of (500) Days of Summer, I spoke about how film enthusiasts are always on the lookout for innovation, whether it be drastically moving the goalposts or taking something well-worn and presenting it in an interesting light. In the same week that (500) Days of Summer failed… More
  In my review of (500) Days of Summer, I spoke about how film enthusiasts are always on the lookout for innovation, whether it be drastically moving the goalposts or taking something well-worn and presenting it in an interesting light. In the same week that (500) Days of Summer failed to live up to its hype as a modern-day Annie Hall, District 9 comes along and makes a much better fist of things. The result in an impressive, ideas-laden debut which displays great promise even as it falls short of greatness in and of itself. Much attention has been given to the involvement of Peter Jackson in District 9's production history. Jackson had originally intended for director Neil Blomkamp to helm an adaptation of the Halo video game series, having been impressed by his short film Alive in Joburg. Considering Jackson's own fortunes with The Lovely Bones, it is tempting to view this film in the same vein as Super 8, i.e. a case of a great filmmaker attempting to recapture his past self, using an apprentice to make the kind of films he is no longer capable of making. District 9 does score over Super 8, for a couple of reasons. One is that it is not as overtly self-conscious; while J. J. Abrams went out of his way to pay tribute to Spielberg, at the cost of not saying anything new, Blomkamp draws on a wider range of influences of which Jackson's early features make up a small but recognisable part. The other is that District 9 makes a more forthright and ambitious effort to tell a new story with existing components, something which Super 8 attempted but never accomplished to an entirely satisfying degree. District 9 is primarily a film about xenophobia, exploring that theme through the language of science fiction and eventually the conventions of the action genre. Blomkamp draws clear parallels between the prawns' predicament and those of the black South Africans under the Apartheid regime. The film's protagonists are a white minority, who have the law in their favour and military might behind them, and who treat the prawns (read 'Blacks') somewhere between second-class citizens and no better than animals. The title refers to the infamous District Six in central Cape Town, which was declared a 'whites-only zone' in the 1960s and from which all inhabitants were forcibly evicted. Having established this parallel, District 9 digs a little deeper to look at the transition from military containment to legal control of the prawns. The film has two different personalities at its heart: the timid, mild-mannered Wikus van der Merwe and the macho, aggressive Colonel Koobus Venter. Venter represents the old order, being akin to the first men to board the alien ship; he views the prawns as scum who are only safe to deal with when dead. Wikus' barbarism comes with a smile: instead of forcing the prawns to obey him at gunpoint, he manipulates them into jumping through legal hoops, giving his company and government a veneer of legitimacy and democratic credibility. The film uses Wikus' character arc to explore the irrational nature of racism. Being a science fiction film with prominent horror and action elements, Wikus' transformation does not come about through a series of polite conversations, shot in glowing close-ups and backed by uplifting music. Instead he literally transforms after being infected by an alien fluid, and the less human DNA that he possesses, the more humane he becomes. This transformation is made all the more convincing by the performance of Sharlto Copley, who improvised every last word of his dialogue. There is also a sadly underdeveloped idea about governments relying on private contractors and multinational corporations in law enforcement. We have suspicions that MNU's intentions may not be entirely transparent, which are confirmed when we discover that Wikus' boss has been experimenting on the aliens. There is potential within this idea, either for a revamped Frankenstein story along the lines of Day of the Dead, or a more in-depth political commentary about the changing nature of state and police power. As it is, the idea is introduced to an extent that it makes sense, but it leaves us wanting a little more to chew on. For fans of sci-fi, horror and action movies, it won't take much effort to pick up on all the films to which District 9 owes a debt. Blomkamp didn't credit any one film as being a source of inspiration, saying instead that he considers the film to be in the same vein as the "hardcore" action films of the 1980s, such as Aliens, Predator and RoboCop. The rough-edged documentary aesthetic was in part an attempt to move away from the glossy, slick look of modern action blockbusters. The end result is an interesting mix of the two looks, with the cutting-edge CG effects integrating surprisingly well with the grungy, dingy sets. The film incorporates a number of different genres or sub-genres into both its story and visuals. There are clear hints of Jackson's early work in the more organic effects: the alien sick and gruesome, rubbery effects in Wikus' transformation nod directly towards Bad Taste and Brain Dead. The central plot of the aliens attempting to get home is very close to E.T., particularly in the scene where Wikus is shown the machine the aliens have constructed to get them back to the mothership. For a while we expect a Close Encounters-style ending, in which the aliens manage to leave and Wikus chooses to go with them. The action elements of the film take heavily after Alien and Aliens, from the scene of the alien eggs being burned right down to the shape of the mechanical contraption Wikus used to fight off the Nigerians. But by far the biggest influence on District 9 is the body horror of David Cronenberg. Much like The Fly, Rabid or Videodrome, the film focusses on the painful physical transformation of its main character, who undergoes the torment of gradually mutating into something a lot less human. The black sludge dripping from Wikus' nose, fingernails snapping off, teeth falling out and the ability to operate alien weapons are all used to drive home the scale and agony of this change, matching physical to mental deterioration. Unfortunately, the prominence of body horror also sheds light on District 9's main problem. There are so many different influences colliding in this breezily-told maelstrom of a film that it never follows through entirely with any of them. All the interesting allegories raised in the early sci-fi sections are eventually swept aside in the more action-based third act. The body horror elements are enjoyably gruesome from a make-up perspective, but we don't get the same level of emotional tragedy or ambiguity that Cronenberg achieved. While he would have focussed on the blurring of boundaries between alien and human a lot more, Blomkamp prefers to give us a whizz-bang climax, and not for the first time that's rather disappointing. This feeling of complacency is reinforced by the film's aesthetic. It begins in a documentary fashion, with Wikus being followed around by a cameraman when evicting the prawns. But soon after he has become infected, Blomkamp abandons the aesthetic and the film plays out in more conventional fashion until the closing minutes reminds us that we supposedly watching a news report the whole time. You could argue that we're interested in the story to such an extent that this doesn't matter, but it does undermine the suspension of disbelief when you stop and think about it. If you do stop and think about the story of District 9, elements of it begin to feel decidedly less clever. Much like Chronicle, it's a case of the ideas not being developed to a great enough extent, or of promising characters being married to a clunky or clichéd environment. Calling your multi-national organisation Multi-National United is downright lazy, and there are moments in which the conversations about MNU's secret programme drift into the sillier end of spy thrillers. Like Chronicle we could chalk this down to the inexperience of a first-time director, but surely someone of Jackson's calibre would have spotted these inadequacies and dealt with them. District 9 is an interesting and engaging debut effort which suggests that Blomkamp has a promising career ahead of him. While the film doesn't deliver on all of its ideas, and wears its references very much on its sleeve, it is an enjoyable and reasonably thought-provoking romp which will satisfy a mainstream audience. Blomkamp has more streamlined and original films in him, but this is enjoyable in the same ramshackle way as Bad Taste. Here's just hoping that his next feature won't be his equivalent of Meet the Feebles.

• xGary X

  
  When a malfunctioning alien spaceship strands over a million of its inhabitants on Earth, they find an unlikely champion in the shape of a previously self serving weapons manufacturer exec who starts to metamorphose into one of them after exposure to an unknown chemical. District… More
  When a malfunctioning alien spaceship strands over a million of its inhabitants on Earth, they find an unlikely champion in the shape of a previously self serving weapons manufacturer exec who starts to metamorphose into one of them after exposure to an unknown chemical. District 9's plot takes a lot of cues from cult 80s sci-fi, most obviously the racism allegory of Alien Nation and the genetic mutation premise from Cronenberg's The Fly. However, unlike something like Doomsday which simply ripped off old films with no wit or subtlety, this film actually develops upon its ideas. The production design is fantastic and the action sequences extremely well done, particularly the brilliantly handled climactic battle and the film has a great deal of momentum that meant I enjoyed it more and more as it went on. But easily the strongest aspect of the film is Sharlto Copley's central performance who is quite brilliant as the selfish corporate bastard who unwillingly finds a cause to fight for. It would have been nice to learn more about what happened to the ship and the aliens in the first place and why these obviously technologically advanced creatures had degenerated into a bunch of filthy, scavenging animals but as a whole it is a hugely enjoyable piece of action sci-fi with an intelligent twist.

• Samuel R

  
  Very underrated. Very clever. Very,very good. 'District 9' has fantastic visuals,a strong story and plenty of jaw-dropping moments. At the same time, it contains some smart elements that link with some social/political matters of today. A must watch for any Sci-Fi fans.

• Wildaly M

  
  Wow. The story is original and creative, a rare gem in Hollywood these days. It's shot in documentary style at first, slowly grows into something much deeper (with its racism and apartheid allegories) and scarier (the aliens are not exactly eye candy) by the minute.

• Raymond W

  
  District 9 is a brilliant film from director Neill Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson. With great characters, great CGI aliens (or Prawns), a fantastic score, and a fascinating, original storyline, District 9 is one summer film not to be missed. Wikus van der Merwe is the main… More
  District 9 is a brilliant film from director Neill Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson. With great characters, great CGI aliens (or Prawns), a fantastic score, and a fascinating, original storyline, District 9 is one summer film not to be missed. Wikus van der Merwe is the main character here, and is so relatable in many ways, it's hard not to feel for him and connect with him almost right away. It's emotionally wrenching to watch what he goes through, but at the same time, we feel for the Prawns that are being so mistreated. We get both sides of the highly imaginative story, and don't feel like we've just sat through 2 hours of clashing metal and ear-splitting noise. It's quite the contrary actually; we feel breathless, shaken, and most of all (for me at least) shamed.

• Albert K

  
  This movie is a must watch. It's an incredibly captivating story of a man that is shaken outside of his comfort zone to collide into the harsh realities of a political oppression going on between the human race and the alien race. I've gotta say, this movie had me on the… More
  This movie is a must watch. It's an incredibly captivating story of a man that is shaken outside of his comfort zone to collide into the harsh realities of a political oppression going on between the human race and the alien race. I've gotta say, this movie had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Watched it at a midnight showing, watched it again. The character development of this movie, though focused on only one character, is incredibly engaging. You'll hate this person, you'll love this person, you'll disagree and root him on. The acting, cinematography, the score, the direction, the CGI, the editing, all exquisitely done to bring a great popcorn adventure that addresses a popular issue, that has been repeatedly done, in a different form. An excellent movie.

• Directors C

  
  District 9 is an excruciatingly deep, sad and moving film, and an outstanding one by first time director Neil Blomkamp. Everything a good sci-fi movie should have is in this film plus a lot of morals.

• paul o

  
  Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkampp gives us a look into a new type of documentary. Its visually stunning and has an original story to support it. Not really an action film but more of a drama with a touch of blood and violence.

• Jameson W

  
  This film really surprised me. I had high expectations, but I did not know this would be great. This film is brilliant!<br/><br /><br/><br />The thing that caught my attention right away was the documentary sections. I did not think it could be so appealing,… More
  This film really surprised me. I had high expectations, but I did not know this would be great. This film is brilliant!<br/><br /><br/><br />The thing that caught my attention right away was the documentary sections. I did not think it could be so appealing, but the mockumentary strategy really sets this film apart from every other lame alien movie. It makes the entire story feel so real. Brilliant filmaking! For a relatively low budget, indie film, I was surprised by how great the special effects were. The action scenes were awesome, as were the aliens. I also really liked the gory parts of the film, it works. I was also very surprised by the acting, particularly by first time actor, Sharlto Copley. He gives a very strong and emotional performance that really carried the film and added a great level of emotion and intensity to the film.<br/><br /><br/><br />This is an absolutely fantastic movie. Right alongside Avatar as one of the best films of 2009!

• Jacob E

  
  When I wrote my first "review" for this film, all I wrote was "Go and see this now. And that is all." It was, in retrospect, an incredibly underdeveloped review, considering how bloody good this film was. The setup is brilliant, tackle the issue of apartheid and… More
  When I wrote my first "review" for this film, all I wrote was "Go and see this now. And that is all." It was, in retrospect, an incredibly underdeveloped review, considering how bloody good this film was. The setup is brilliant, tackle the issue of apartheid and racism in South Africa by telling the audience it's a sci-fi action film. But it's a bit more than that. The plot and characters are surprisingly gut wrenching. Who knew that you could have empathy for a CG creature that can't speak English and looks like a prawn? But that's one of the big lessons in this film, empathy and understanding. To say the least, Wikkus (the "protagonist") learns what it's like to be a prawn the hard HARD way. It's a brilliant set up. Now, there are plenty of arguments against this movie (the constant use of the F-bomb, the lack of focus on the aliens towards the end and more on Wikkus), but I'm willing to let these slide. For starters, intelligent sci-fi is hard enough to find, but to make it this thrilling and jaw dropping WHILE keeping intelligent themes is a borderline art. Plus, this is the director debut for Neil Blomkamp, and if this film is any indication, his next film ("Elysium") has lots of potential.

• Jim C

  
  District 9 is an incredible sci-fi film that is probably one of the most original alien films I can think of, and really made me think about the alien genre of film in a whole new way. The plot is great, I was hardly ever bored and they create characters that are interesting, mostly… More
  District 9 is an incredible sci-fi film that is probably one of the most original alien films I can think of, and really made me think about the alien genre of film in a whole new way. The plot is great, I was hardly ever bored and they create characters that are interesting, mostly because they either aliens or turning into one, and it shows that they truly were trying top make an original story. The cast was probably my main problem, its not that they were really bad but I saw no performances that were memorable or fun really, but that was just a minor problem to such a great film. The special effects were pretty incredible and they did not try to make it like Avatar great but just made it great, and even though the aliens looked pretty disgusting, for all we know they could look even worse if aliens were real. District 9 is a movie I did not enjoy the first time, but time passed and I watched again and I realized what an masterful piece of film this was.

• Adam K

  
  Avatar has been nominated for Best Picture at The Oscar's but so has District 9. District 9 is a great piece of film. For a first time feature by Neil Blokamp, it is a very good achievement. The mix of documentary and linear storytelling techniques is an excellent choice. Is… More
  Avatar has been nominated for Best Picture at The Oscar's but so has District 9. District 9 is a great piece of film. For a first time feature by Neil Blokamp, it is a very good achievement. The mix of documentary and linear storytelling techniques is an excellent choice. Is better than Avatar in almost all forms, apart from special effects but the special effects of District 9 still are very close to Avatar. I highly recommend it, for the excitement and thrill and for the pure emotion. For the main character, the actor is a friend of the director and it is his first time. In three words excellent motion picture. **** 4 Star

• Eric A

  
  Good sci-fi filled with some cool scenes, that seem pretty damn real.

• shahmeer h

  
  District 9 Is a movie that has it's ups and downs. Nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, this film proves to be what it's supposed to be. Nominated. Not winning. The true fact is that the whole thing isn't good, only the beginning and the end. At the… More
  District 9 Is a movie that has it's ups and downs. Nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, this film proves to be what it's supposed to be. Nominated. Not winning. The true fact is that the whole thing isn't good, only the beginning and the end. At the beginning, the documentary style captivated me COMPLETELY. But after a while, suddenly it starts going to the "normal" style. Thats what I hated. But then, it turns back to documentary, then back to "normal", and so on. For like half an hour. Then, the story becomes interesting. It captivates me. And at the beginning, I have total DISGUST for the aliens. But somehow, the movie does it, and I realize they have feelings, and I also feel for them, as well. But that's not the best part. The middle might have been a lot of "what the?!", but the end makes up for it quite well. The intensity and sudden "Whoa." is just half of what the ending does for your entertainment. The emotional alien attachment and the truth about the lead is the other half. If you put those halts together, you get a spectacular 2/5ths of a film. So an excellent first 2/5ths and then the last 2/5ths added together makes 4/5ths of enjoyable film time, and the other 1/5ths, eh, plots the film, i guess. But all in all, District 9 fell just short of the "9" in the title, and it receives a 70/100

• Drake T

  
  District 9 layers it's documentary style storytelling on its rather predictable plot but then covers itself some more with an extreme attention to cultural detail that really brings this fictitious tale to life. Combined with it's gritty, believable special effects… More
  District 9 layers it's documentary style storytelling on its rather predictable plot but then covers itself some more with an extreme attention to cultural detail that really brings this fictitious tale to life. Combined with it's gritty, believable special effects you're easily pulled into the story of an average Joe joining forces with the oppressed alien visitors. I love how it works as a simple SciFi classic but through stylization and genre mash-up keeps itself just fresh enough to seem original. For all intents and purposes, D9 works. Just more than often I couldn't believe humanity's lack of fascination/empathy/sympathy with the Prawns even "28 years" after first contact. They're clearly intelligent yet Blokamp decides we treat them worse than we do the homeless of our streets? C'mon.

• Kevin M

  
  This was a great movie, and will always be one of my favorite movies, but i just disagree with some review saying it's "the most original sci-fi movie" which it isn't

• Jens S

  
  Rarely have I seen a film so undecided about what genre it wants to belong to and yet working out so well. It's Sci-Fi, action, allegory and society criticism, gory horror, mockumentary and yet pleases in each regard. The acting, especially by Sharlo Copley, is top notch and… More
  Rarely have I seen a film so undecided about what genre it wants to belong to and yet working out so well. It's Sci-Fi, action, allegory and society criticism, gory horror, mockumentary and yet pleases in each regard. The acting, especially by Sharlo Copley, is top notch and although the film gives up the documentary style from the beginning to tell the story somewhat more conventionally after a while, it still feels real, which is quite a feat, considering it has aliens, spaceships and battle robots in it. The outstanding special effects, provided by Peter Jackson's WETA play a huge part in this. The aliens don't seem out of place in their South African slums, the textures, lights and all look very real. Same goes for the excellent makeup-effects. The plot keeps you on the edge of your seat and manages to keep you interested despite of the initially rather unlikable main character. Each time the film threatens to get a tad too preachy it simply starts to kick serious ass instead, especially the last 20 minutes are breathtaking. Only the gory trash horror parts seem a bit over the top. The overall experience is still very satisfying and leaves all options open for a sequel. A highlight of the year. Intelligent, disgusting, thought-provoking, extremely entertaining. A little wonder of a film.

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