District 9 (Nine)

After all the hype of the likes of the mega budget summer tentpole movies such as Transformers 2, and Terminator Salvation, District 9 came from under our radar and became one of the best movies of the year!
It might not have only a third of the budget of the pre-mentioned movies, but what it lacks in the budget it more than makes up for in smart, funny and intelligent script. Also it's a refreshing change to show that not all aliens invade America, with this stark South African shanti town setting. The C.G.I creations of the aliens are brilliant, making the most of the budget, but it's the smartness of the polital message that is so well handled, and never hammering home the message. For those who my criticise the movie by saying "I don't know all the fuss is about" I suggest that they go and be happy with the likes of Transformers, that although great entertainment does not offer much to challange the grey matter, but if you want a brilliantly entertaining film that is as intelligent as it it fun, this film cannot be missed, and is the only film that could challange the re-boot of the new Star Trek as the best Sci-Fi of the year.
This is a cult classic in the making, I only hope they don't mess up the possible sequels.

There's always a risk when you make a film like this. It could so easily go wrong, however District 9 hits the nail on the head with it's aims and targets. 95% of all alien films tell the story of stereotypical looking aliens coming to earth in round spaceships and attacking us. District 9 is quite the contrast to the repetitive alien films we see so often.

A great story which really makes you connect to the aliens. Lets just say that it's amazing how much a film can make you hate your own human race.

This is a rare thing... "District 9" is original, brilliantly directed sci-fi and documentary-style mixed together. When I saw the trailer, I didn't think it would quite work, but having the "prawns" living with us and showing oppression and discrimination towards them is something that goes on in the real world. This film, like all great science fiction, is about the human condition and how we push away other races and cultures because we don't understand them. The film has great meaningful sentiment because of this, and me being British and married to an Indian Muslim woman, I have seen the discrimination in this country to my wife, so, I understand what the film is trying to say- why can't we all get along and respect each other's cultures. The film is also and mainly, extremely entertaining with great action sequences and a brilliantly dark sense of humour. The special effects and prosthetic make-up effects by Weta Studios( the guys who did "Lord of The Rings" trilogy) are incredibly life-like and make you care for the "prawns" particularly the father and son prawn. December is a great month then, with this and "The Hurt Locker" being my favourite two films of the year... This film is like marmite though, as you can see from mixed reviews- you either will get it or not, in my opinion, awesome though.

District 9 is a masterpiece. There, that's all. Now click Buy. Seriously. This film is a poignant allegory for Apartheid, for sociological prejudice that is simply seeking another outlet, and has not been erased from our nature. The alien, or 'prawn', becomes the new maligned minority, marginalised and segregated, and regarded as nothing more than a nuisance, potential threat, and a drain on valuable resources. This is how our lens on this affair, Wikus, a subscriber to the story told on the television, and printed on the page, sees these unfortunate immigrants, and it is on that foundation he interacts with them, as per him job as an inter-special official. But this small-minded, unsympathetic little man in a white shirt and tie with a clipboard has his world incontrovertibly merged with that of the aliens, and the conflict with it's conventional boundaries and clear sense of right and wrong spillls into his reality, and he's forced to see it from the side of the victims. This is sci-fi with something on its mind, it wants to show you something, and many elements of the narrative bear haunting similarities to Apartheid Africa. The film unfolds in documentary-style for the most part, only deviating in moments of intense personal drama. Wikus is slowly transformed before our eyes--literally and figuratively--from a cowardly blue-collar bigot into an incidental revolutionary awakening to a greater cause, his eventual heroism all the more affecting because of the journey to it. Humdrum Q & A, and celebrating a promotion turns into horrified persecution and brutally instantaneous blood-letting, all granted higher impact by the more intimate and naturalistic filming method. The film invests us, then blows us away with a quite frankly jaw-dropping closing act, that at once works as resolution and catharsis. The actor playing Wikus is truly wondrous in the role, particularly when you realise the majority of his lines are ENTIRELY IMPROVISED, and the unpolished cinematography and scripting grant the film a more realistic style that's been much attempted, seldom accomplished. Also, for a relatively low-budget sci-fi, the special effects are incredible, and are all pulled off with intense believability, though the film never relies on CGI to carry it through; it complements the narrative, as opposed to the modern sci-fi storytelling method where narrative is nothing more than garnish to computer wizardry. The ending sticks in your mind, even as the adrenaline peters out of your system, and, if you're anything like me, you'll watch the credits to the end, in awe of what you've just seen. Make no mistake, this film stands up there with Blade Runner, Alien, 2001 and The Terminator. It's intelligent, raw, profound, brutal and superbly-acted. You'll love it!

This is certainly a very unique and very well crafted sci-fi movie, original in every way. It has a brilliant cast and a great story and even better effects! I would say this is one of the greatest and most enjoyable movies ever made. Worth a watch without doubt. Let's hope Neill Blomkamp the director follows this up with something that has just as high standards.