"District 9" Movie Review

This week we take a look at the sci-fi movie District 9 (R). This Peter Jackson produced film imagines a world where an alien ship parks itself over Johannesburg, South Africa filled with lethargic, malnourished aliens. Over the course of a couple of decades, the aliens are put into ghettos and routinely descriinated against. Neill Blomkamp directs and Sharlto Copley stars.

Ryan: District 9 is a really good sci-fi flick but it isn't the instant sci-fi classic that it's being made out to be in some circles. The (viral) marketing campaign for the film was brilliant and created a buzz that seemed legit. I don't think the film quite lives up to the buzz but it's certainly a positive alternative to most of the mindless fodder (Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe) being cranked out of Hollywood.

Andy: District 9 is a film that thrives because of the quality of the concept. There have been hundreds of movies turned out about aliens over the years, but few have taken the approach of the aliens as a “humanitarian burden” on Earth. The concept, plus the obvious, yet interesting allegories that accompany it, make District 9 interesting enough to recommend.

Ryan: District 9 stands out because of it's style. The premise for the film is (arguably) quite ridiculous and the movie could have completely fallen apart if it was in the hands of an atypical sci-fi/ action movie director. But under the steady hand of Neill Blomkamp, the director, and Peter Jackson, the producer, the movie distances itself from its contemporaries in a lot of ways by being such a “modern” movie. Whether it's the hyper cutting, the use of hand-held cameras or the non-traditional storytelling techniques, District 9 sucks in the viewer with it's hyper-real style and creates a tense and immediate environment that is thrilling to watch.

Andy: I would argue that ultimately, District 9 comes dangerously close to falling apart at the end. The solid concept of the movie’s plot gives way to a shoot ‘em up, buddy action flick. This is as inexplicable as it is unwanted, as the movie had really set itself up to be something special. Bear in mind that the action sequence is pretty solid as action sequences go, but it is way too long, and seems outside the spirit of the rest of the film.

Ryan: While I believe that District 9 is a movie that should be respected it is not without its shortcomings. The movie runs a little too long and sometimes gets bogged down in its own semantics. While Sharlto Copley was outstanding as the lead, the other performances in the film never rise up to the tension being generated in the movie. But the biggest misstep is the lack of a good villain. A truly transcendent genre picture needs a memorable villain and District 9 fails to produce that.

Andy: The lack of a compelling villain might not have been a problem had they played up the concept of the private security contractor as a corporate villain. Or the film could have focused more on interspecies diplomacy instead of action, and that would have lessened the need for one main bad guy. As it is, the movie’s shortfalls are a little disappointing, but it is still a high quality film.

District 9 is not without flaws, but is still a sci-fi film worthy of a B.