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District 9
- Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
- Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Mandla Gaduka, William Allen Young, Vanessa Haywood, Kenneth Nkosi, Devlin Brown
- Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
- Theater Release: 08/14/2009
- Video Release: 12/22/2009
Synopsis
Director Neill Blomkamp teams with producer Peter Jackson for this tale of extraterrestrial refugees stuck in contemporary South Africa. It's been 28 years since the aliens made first contact, but there was never any attack from the skies, nor any profound technological revelation capable of advancing our society. Instead, the aliens were treated as refugees. They were the last of their kind, and in order to accommodate them, the government of South Africa set up a makeshift home in District 9 as politicians and world leaders debated how to handle the situation. As the humans begin to grow wary of the unwelcome intruders, a private company called Multi-National United (MNU) is assigned the task of controlling the aliens. But MNU is less interested in the aliens' welfare than attempting to understand how their weaponry works. Should they manage to make that breakthrough, they will receive tremendous profits to fund their research. Unfortunately, the highly advanced weaponry requires alien DNA in order to be activated. When MNU field operative Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is exposed to biotechnology that causes his DNA to mutate, the tensions between the aliens and the humans intensifies. Wikus is the key to unlocking the alien's technology, and he quickly becomes the most wanted man on the planet. Ostracized and isolated, Wikus retreats to District 9 in a desperate bid to shake his dogged pursuers.
Director Neill Blomkamp teams with producer Peter Jackson for this tale of extraterrestrial refugees stuck in contemporary South Africa. It's been 28 years since the aliens made first contact, but there was never any attack from the skies, nor any profound technological revelation capable of advancing our society. Instead, the aliens were treated as refugees. They were the last of their kind, and in order to accommodate them, the government of South Africa set up a makeshift home in District 9 as politicians and world leaders debated how to handle the situation. As the humans begin to grow wary of the unwelcome intruders, a private company called Multi-National United (MNU) is assigned the task of controlling the aliens. But MNU is less interested in the aliens' welfare than attempting to understand how their weaponry works. Should they manage to make that breakthrough, they will receive tremendous profits to fund their research. Unfortunately, the highly advanced weaponry requires alien DNA in order to be activated. When MNU field operative Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is exposed to biotechnology that causes his DNA to mutate, the tensions between the aliens and the humans intensifies. Wikus is the key to unlocking the alien's technology, and he quickly becomes the most wanted man on the planet. Ostracized and isolated, Wikus retreats to District 9 in a desperate bid to shake his dogged pursuers.
Reviews
"[T]his grossly engrossing speculative fiction bears Jackson's blood-spattered fingerprints but also heralds first-time feature director Neill Blomkamp as a nimble talent to watch." (Variety)
3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[The filmmakers] have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic and just funny enough to keep thoroughly entertained, even while the subtext is of a very serious nature." (Box Office)
"[I]t's a helluva movie. No true fan of science fiction -- or, for that matter, cinema -- can help but thrill to the action, high stakes and suspense built around a very original chase movie." (Hollywood Reporter)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "You'll be wowed by Copley. His heart-rending tour de force deserves comparison to Jeff Goldblum's in THE FLY." (Rolling Stone)
"DISTRICT 9 fuses science fiction mayhem and biting social commentary as well as any film since STARSHIP TROOPERS. It's the rare alien invasion story that has the aliens running scared." (A.V. Club)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- “With its clever faux documentary style, this is the most imaginative science-fiction movie to come along in years.” (USA Today)
"DISTRICT 9 is very smart sci-fi, but that's just the beginning; it's also a scathing social satire hidden inside a terrific action thriller....It's a blast..." (Los Angeles Times)
"A thinking person's sci-fie movie from an inventive director...DISTRICT 9 revels in the fun of mashing up narrative styles..." -- Grade: A (Entertainment Weekly)
"[O]ften inventive....DISTRICT 9 begins in cinéma vérité style with a collection of talking heads..." (Wall Street Journal)
3 stars out of 4 -- "[A] seamless merger of the mockumentary and special effects. And there's a harsh parable here about the alienation and treatment of refugees." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"[The filmmakers] embed their ideas in an ingenious, propulsive and suspenseful genre entertainment, one that respects your intelligence even as it makes your eyes pop..." (New York Times)
4 stars out of 5 -- “[A] fascinating sci-fi specimen....The historical resonances only enhance the film’s blazing neo-realism, as does the dizzying, docu-style camerawork...” (Total Film)
Included in Los Angeles Times's "Best Films Of 2009" -- "[I]nventively fresh...at the same time reflective of the best of the genre's social commentary traditions." (Los Angeles Times)
Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone's "The 10 Best Movies Of 2009" -- "[It] deserves one of those 10 Oscar spots for Best Picture." (Rolling Stone)
Included in Entertainment Weekly's "The Best Films Of The Year" -- "[A] madly original social drama/sci-fi thriller set in South Africa..." (Entertainment Weekly)
Ranked #7 in USA Today's "Top Ten Films Of 2009." (USA Today)
3 stars out of 5 -- "Blomkamp's wry satirical parallels to apartheid work pretty well here." (Uncut)
"[T]his grossly engrossing speculative fiction bears Jackson's blood-spattered fingerprints but also heralds first-time feature director Neill Blomkamp as a nimble talent to watch." (Variety)
3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[The filmmakers] have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic and just funny enough to keep thoroughly entertained, even while the subtext is of a very serious nature." (Box Office)
"[I]t's a helluva movie. No true fan of science fiction -- or, for that matter, cinema -- can help but thrill to the action, high stakes and suspense built around a very original chase movie." (Hollywood Reporter)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "You'll be wowed by Copley. His heart-rending tour de force deserves comparison to Jeff Goldblum's in THE FLY." (Rolling Stone)
"DISTRICT 9 fuses science fiction mayhem and biting social commentary as well as any film since STARSHIP TROOPERS. It's the rare alien invasion story that has the aliens running scared." (A.V. Club)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- “With its clever faux documentary style, this is the most imaginative science-fiction movie to come along in years.” (USA Today)
"DISTRICT 9 is very smart sci-fi, but that's just the beginning; it's also a scathing social satire hidden inside a terrific action thriller....It's a blast..." (Los Angeles Times)
"A thinking person's sci-fie movie from an inventive director...DISTRICT 9 revels in the fun of mashing up narrative styles..." -- Grade: A (Entertainment Weekly)
"[O]ften inventive....DISTRICT 9 begins in cinéma vérité style with a collection of talking heads..." (Wall Street Journal)
3 stars out of 4 -- "[A] seamless merger of the mockumentary and special effects. And there's a harsh parable here about the alienation and treatment of refugees." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"[The filmmakers] embed their ideas in an ingenious, propulsive and suspenseful genre entertainment, one that respects your intelligence even as it makes your eyes pop..." (New York Times)
4 stars out of 5 -- “[A] fascinating sci-fi specimen....The historical resonances only enhance the film’s blazing neo-realism, as does the dizzying, docu-style camerawork...” (Total Film)
Included in Los Angeles Times's "Best Films Of 2009" -- "[I]nventively fresh...at the same time reflective of the best of the genre's social commentary traditions." (Los Angeles Times)
Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone's "The 10 Best Movies Of 2009" -- "[It] deserves one of those 10 Oscar spots for Best Picture." (Rolling Stone)
Included in Entertainment Weekly's "The Best Films Of The Year" -- "[A] madly original social drama/sci-fi thriller set in South Africa..." (Entertainment Weekly)
Ranked #7 in USA Today's "Top Ten Films Of 2009." (USA Today)
3 stars out of 5 -- "Blomkamp's wry satirical parallels to apartheid work pretty well here." (Uncut)
