MY REVIEW :
(WARNING MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD)
District 9 is great. I loved the countless subtle visual details, innovative storytelling and nerdy humor. It’s not perfect by any means, but its a strong first feature film effort from visual effects artist turned promising film director Neill Blomkamp.
The cinematography is mixed media using a variety of image formats and cameras: 35mm film, Red, mini dv, vhs camcorders, etc. Neill Blomkamp has developed a signature style of combining “mockumentry” handheld camera work with seamlessly integrated CGI special fx. The faux journalistic, reality tv aesthetic implies a much larger global narrative outside of the film’s core “day in the life” story.
The art direction is thoughtful and truly immersive. Little touches like MNU tattoos on the head’s of alien refugees or the mocked up news station graphic overlays really add up to create an entire world that continues into your imagination beyond what you immediately see on screen. A shanty town always provides a wonderful opportunity to shoot colorful richly textured environments, and you’ll find no exception in District 9. It follows a number of critically acclaimed films shot in actual slums, such as City of God, Sin Nombre, Slumdog Millionaire, etc. I love how throwing the alien characters into the mix allow for all sorts of amusing visuals, like an alien sporting a beat up, propeller beanie cap or an alien wearing a bra or an alien decorating his hut with random “gadget pron” & garbage.
There are complex relationships between all factions: Civilian, Corporate, Alien and otherwise, with no clearly defined good guy or bad guy. The hero is spineless. The human’s ‘humanitarian’ efforts are constantly derailed by their own xenophobic prejudices. The alien’s commanding officer, Christopher Johnson and his baby boy (CJ Jr.), are generally sympathetic and good natured, while his “worker class” brethren are for the most part depicted as amoral, infantile and murderous. District 9’s news reel style exposition contains a montage of aliens urinating publicly, stealing, killing countless humans by causing train wrecks, etc. There’s no one side that you really want to win, but rather you just wish everyone would overcome their natural differences to get along… riiiiiight.
District 9 establishes a potent mythology that leaves a lot of room for expansion and exploration via all kinds of media: viral videos, short films, new media, interactive, web, graphic novels, and of course, movie sequels. Its ripe for the picking. For me, the aliens fall somewhere between Zerg (swarming, insectoid chaotic masses) and Protoss (proud, anthropomorthic, sporting advanced bio-genetic technology). Their combat mechs remind me of a Protoss dragoon. (Yup. Chalk one up for the Starcraft nerds). The progressive body horror metamorphosis experienced by the protagonist Wikus van der Merwe nabbed the best parts from the classic sci-fi flick “The Fly”, down to the finger nails falling off and an in-human reconfiguration of the hero’s eating habits. Additionally, there are plentiful homages to The Office, Close Encounters of the 3rd kind, Ghostbusters, Men in Black, Starship Troopers, and even the latest re-imagining of Transformers (ala Michael Bay).
This film’s good, but that’s not to say that District 9 is without f-ups. First off, the pacing is a bit junky at times, often speeding through the exposition jarringly and then dragging its heels mid way through the 2nd act. And sure, I can see how 2 individuals armed with out of this world bio-genetic weaponry can blast their way into a heavily militarized, fortified, multi-national, multi-billion dollar corperate headquarters, fine. But how do those same 2 guys get off escaping by driving an SUV with nothing but a helipcopter packed with 3 mercenaries chasing them? Doesn’t MNU have more at its disposal? It’s not like MNU was chilling out and all of a sudden they have to start chasing Wickus, it was already established that MNU had mobilized their entire army to high alert in order to search for Wickus the “alien humping” fugitive. So what gives? Also, if there was all this news coverage and actual video footage of the command module detaching itself from the mothership and falling to the earth right after the aliens stalled over Johannesburg, then why did no one ever find it? The thing literally fell directly into the future site of District 9, on video, in front of everyone. And no one ever thought to look under Christopher Johnson shack to see if it might be there? What? A simple command module cloaking technology (or something…) could have fixed that plot hole. My final gripe is during the finale where Wikus finds meaning and value in something greater than himself. Yes, he starts dispatching all kinds of alien zapper whoop ass on every corperate funded private military unit in sight, but he also starts spewing all kinds of cheesy Die Hard-esque one liner cliches too. Hearing Wickus shout “You want a piece of me?” and “Is that the best you got!?” broke my suspension of disbelief, making the final sequence feel a bit like a B-movie. Not cool. However, these things are but small blemishes on an otherwise very solid piece of sci-fi cinema.
All in all, District 9 is great stuff. I can’t wait to see what Neill Blomkamp does next. District 10?
District 9
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Yellow
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
MORE FILMS :
http://www.spyfilms.com/#neill_blomkamp/tetra_vaal-robotics
http://www.spyfilms.com/#neill_blomkamp/alive_in_joburg
