Seeing District 9 was bound to be an adventure. First and foremost because one of my favorite filmmakers, Peter Jackson, had a hand in bringing it to the screen, but secondly because I did something that I am not sure I have ever done in my adult life: I saw this film without having seen a trailer for it. And I’m a trailer junkie!
It certainly did not start out intentionally. I had not really heard anything about the movie until I read some coverage of Peter Jackson being at ComiCon on The One Ring dot Net site, and even then I got distracted and did not go check out a trailer, nor have I read anything about the film. I had seen the movie poster, and that was it. When I realized that fact earlier this week, I determined not to see a trailer, nor to discuss the film with anyone, so that I could go in entirely cold! And, in celebration of my friend James’ birthday, that is just what I did.
Good idea?
Great idea, it turns out! Which is why this review will not give the standard summary of the film. In talking to friends about the trailers they saw (I still haven’t seen one), there were things only hinted at, so even they were surprised by many aspects of the film. Suffice it to say that District 9 is good–Very Good! Science fiction films certainly run the gamut, from poorly made derivative schlock to mind-bending presentations…and the great thing about science fiction films is that they will be placed at different points along that spectrum by every sci fi fan you talk to. What is garbage for one fan might be a cult classic in the eyes of another. My personal feeling is that District 9 falls way over at the spectacular end of the spectrum and was a surprise in so very many ways.
It has often been said that science fiction and fantasy are genres through which humanity can be examined and deeper issues explored in a manner that is more accessible than a straight-forward, heavy-handed message film. The so-called guardians of science fiction may be heard to say that all ‘good’ science fiction should push the genre forward and/or explore important issues. While I appreciate when a film can do those things well, the bottom line for me with both fiction and film is that I want it to be an entertaining experience, and when I invoke the word ‘entertainment’ I am not thinking of its most pedestrian definition. District 9 succeeds in shining a light on issues like apartheid, ethnic cleansing, abortion, the destructive nature of man, and many other weighty concerns, without being preachy, it presents its story in a unique fashion, AND it entertains. Elements of humor and action/suspense are dispersed throughout the film, and yet the film focuses very strongly on character development, particularly with two of the movie’s principal leads.
The special effects were nicely done but I never felt like they were the point of the film–story was not sacrificed for sci fi bells and whistles. Writer/director Neill Blomkamp uses this vehicle to tell a story that entertains, but is also quite the conversation piece. Blomkamp was slated to direct the Halo movie and when that fell through, Peter Jackson stepped in to help him bring this film, an expansion of a shorter film of Blomkamp’s, Alive in Joburg, to the screen. Not being too keen on a Halo movie, I am thrilled that its demise made way for District 9.
There was much to like about this film and yet it is very hard to discuss without spoiling the experience for those who would like to see the film without pre-conceived ideas. I will say that I was very pleased with the cast. Since District 9 wasn’t filled with top box office names I was able to become completely immersed in the experience without being distracted by a “star’s” performance. I could not be more pleased with the movie. I suspect had I succumbed to a great deal of hype and pre-movie excitement, I would not have enjoyed this experience any less. This is the kind of refreshing science fiction that is all too rare on the big screen and I consider District 9 a welcome addition to my list of top-notch science fiction films.
Apologies to any of you who may want to know more about this film than I am willing to share. I certainly welcome spoiler conversation in the comments and offer this as forewarning that the comments may indeed contain spoilers. The events of the film take place in Johannesburg, South Africa and I would be particularly interested in the reaction of people who live or have lived there.
So far Peter Jackson has not disappointed me. I cannot help but be even more excited about the upcoming Lovely Bones. District 9 will be a fantastic DVD to watch the behind-the-scenes footage and director commentary on. James has also pointed out to me that there are various District 9 videos on You Tube that have some connection to the film. I’ll be checking those out as well.
So what about you? Have you seen it? Do you want to see it? If you have seen it, please share your thoughts and let the discussion begin.
After seeing a trailer last week I was worried it might be a bit preachy so I’m more likely to see it now (if I can find anyone to go with me).
Odd sidenote – our cinema has posters up saying ‘No aliens allowed’ and when I think about the kind of signs those posters are satarising I feel a bit shocked that they’re being used so lightly.
heeeeehaaaa!!! i’m so glad you enjoyed it. now i’m pumped! 😀
I saw it on Monday and I LOVED it. Honestly so far, it’s the movie of the year for me. And the lead guy was so good. I won’t say anymore, but he was … wow
Maree: It certainly has been one of the most enjoyable theater experiences I have had this year. And you are right, the lead character was excellent. I felt like his performance was so genuine in so many ways.
JP: Jeff and I were talking about you last night, wondering what your thoughts of it would be like and if the message of the film, for lack of a better way to say it, would touch you differently because of your connection with South Africa.
Jodie: They did a great job, in my opinion, of not being preachy. Last night was the first time I read about the viral marketing campaign they did, with posters everywhere, etc. I can certainly see how on one side it could be perceived as offensive, but I think that is probably the point as they are trying to elicit a reaction similar to that which the film does on many levels.
My husband and son went to see this – my son loved it and my husband said he didn’t really understand it.
Kathy: I suspect there are a lot of varying feelings out there about this film. As I watched it I knew that there would be people who would love it, those who would think it was stupid, those who would disagree with me completely and feel like it was indeed too preachy. I’m curious as to what about it your husband didn’t understand. It certainly doesn’t answer every question, though I do believe that is part of what makes the discussion so interesting.
Fun! I want to see this. I’m kind of a sucker for alien movies. I didn’t know PJ was doing Lovely Bones, which I really enjoyed…
Daphne: I knew Peter Jackson was supposed to do Lovely Bones at some point but had no idea that he had actually gotten it done and that it was going to be out soon. I was really surprised when I saw that trailer.
I really liked this film as well. I had only seen one trailer for the film going in and after seeing the film I was so happy that it didn’t give a lot away. I won’t venture into any spoiler areas either. I will say that if you are a Scifi fan you will want to catch this one on the big screen. There is no way my tv and sound system at home would do this film justice like seeing it on the big screen did.
JP – As Carl mentioned we did discuss you after the film and can only guess what kind of emotions this film may stir up for you. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts down the road when you have a chance to see it. I will say…nope I’m not going to say anything else until you see them film. 🙂 I really hope you can make it out to the theatre soon to check it out.
BLANKIN’ PRAWNS!!!!
I want to see it! I’m not watching any trailers as well, I want the movie to really surprise me 🙂
I want to see this so bad!! I have such a limited amount of time for movies these days. I took Chad out for his birthday, but he got to pick the movie (I wanted to see District 9 and he wanted to see Transformers). And this weekend Inglorious Bastards starts! Taratino is one of my all-time favorites. What’s a girl to do??
glad to hear P. Jackson is keeping up his great reputation! But sometimes I wonder if we will ever see another movie done as well as LOTR was..even by Jackson. That was so filled with a “life long dream” of his you could tell with every frame of the movie..that’s a rare thing to happen.
Deslily: My personal opinion is that there will never be another film or series of films that will so endear itself to me as the LOTR films, even something made by Peter Jackson. I do hope for many more great films from him and others though. LOTR is special, set apart, and wonderful.
Stephanie: I’m sorry, I hope you enjoyed Transformers. I do want to see it sometime, but won’t be until it comes to DVD. Inglorious Bastards looks perfectly bizarre and fun…the way I like my Tarentino movies and my Brad Pitt movies.
Mark David: That is a good plan, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Cameron: LOL! 🙂
As you I learned of this last week by pure chance, so I am still uneducated about this movie in particular. I won’t press on to see what it is about, since it seems that the less I know the better it will be as an experience. 🙂 I am perplexd at how you managed to pen such a long review without poking through the essentials.
“I am perplexd at how you managed to pen such a long review without poking through the essentials.”
No mystery there, Harry. I’m just long-winded. Ha!
I watched the advanced screening of the movie about a month ago (I worked in the movie industry), didn’t have any expectation at all before watching, and was pleasantly surprised. For “alien movie”, it’s really pretty good.
This is one of my must-see movies for this year; I’ve read quite a bit about it on io9 and other websites and like you just knowing Peter Jackson is involved gives me confidence that this will be a great experience. And The Lovely Bones also looks fantastic.
Bride: I look forward to your review of it when you go see it. PJ does inspire confidence, doesn’t he?
Mee: How cool for you! I have been disappointed lately with some of the advanced screenings I have seen. This one would have been a lot of fun to see that way. No matter how good or bad a film is, it is always just a touch better if it is free! 🙂
I want to see it sooo much!! I’m just trying to find the time and possibly someone to see it with. My son who loves sf and fantasy raved about it, he has pretty good taste (sometimes, he also 300 or whatever it was called was good and I wont’ see it….) and now you. I must get to see it soon!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and that you think that highly of it Carl – I am impressed.
Susan: 300 was great!!! I need to find out who has my copy of it so that I can watch it again! I hope you enjoy it when you see it. My daughter saw it the other night with a friend and she seemed to enjoy it.
You wrote in reply to Deslily ” My personal opinion is that there will never be another film or series of films that will so endear itself to me as the LOTR films, even something made by Peter Jackson. I do hope for many more great films from him and others though. LOTR is special, set apart, and wonderful. ”
Please don’t take this the wrong way but I hope your wrong. I truely hate the words ” never and always “, just ask my son. I loved the Star Wars movies growing up and LOTR films as an adult but I hope that’s just not it for me. I want to experience that unique joy again in another 10-20 years. Do you know what I’m saying? As much as I love the LOTR films I like to look forward for the next great story. I experience that with reading as well as much as I cherish certain stories ( LOTR novels growing up and GRRM novels as an adult ) I don’t want to think I’ve peaked in my reading either and that nothing else in the future will compare. It may be a long time from now until the next big thing for me but I hate to think that there are’t a few more truely special stories out there for me to discover in my next 40 years of life.
I’m thinking Josh Hartnett may be putting out a movie trilogy in the next 20 years that will change our lives. 🙂
Jeff: Believe me, I hope I’m wrong too, I really do. I just don’t know that we’ll see the whole package again, the films plus all the passionate extras, etc. For me when I evaluate LOTR as films it is the Extended Editions plus the extras that I watch even more than the films. I don’t see that happening again, but I’ll be glad, very glad, to be proven wrong! That certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t plan on seeing several movies that I am absolutely WOWed by over the next many decades. Heck I hope that the latest Star Trek was just the first of many Star Trek films that end up being a set of movies that I’ll want to watch over and over again.
I don’t want to peak either, I’m right there with you buddy, believe me. If it is Josh Harnett doing it though, I may just have to check out of this life and go on to the next.
I certainly have lots of hope that I’ll continue to discover books that blow my mind. It seems like every year I find at least one or two books that feel momentous, at least my personal experience with them. For me I unfairly compare the whole LOTR package with what I think will happen in the future, and that really is unfair. I’m not sure the movie industry is at a point where it will support those kind of extras in the future because not everyone seems to geek out over them as much as people like you and I.
While we all generally like being right, this is one case where I hope someday soon you will be able to look at me and say, “I told you so!”
My son has been talking about wanting to see this and reeading what you have to say makes me pretty certain I want to too. Tremendous poster, too.
We saw District 9 yesterday. There is not much to say other than I loved it. It will take me a while to assimilate it all, I can’t even begin to put it in words You have written a tremendous review without giving anything away. Thanks, Carl V!
Saw this last night and loved it. I thought the parallels with Apartheid were very clever, and it really said something about the depths of cruelty and greed that humans can sink to. Fantastic ending too. Hated Wickus to start with but was cheering him by the end!
Absolute must see on my list. I have only seen 1 trailer but that was all I needed.
Christine: For me not watching nearly any television during the summer and watching more stuff on DVD made it easy to not see any trailers.
Rhiannon: It was a very clever film, you’re right. And I felt the same way about Wickus and about the ending of the film.
Gavin: Thanks, I appreciate that. So glad you loved it.
Geranium Cat: I think you both will enjoy it if you get a chance to see it.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film where the outer space aliens are so much like us mentally, but so different from us physically.
One thing you didn’t mention, and many reviewers don’t mention is how hard it is to watch this film. It uses handheld cameras to produce news story type tension, and then add in the brutal subject matter, and I was left emotionally battered by the story. It’s a great piece of moving making, but I found it very hard to watch. I wouldn’t recommend it for children, or for sensitive minds.
The movie I really recommend at the moment is Departures, a Japanese film that’s very emotional, very uplifting, about a rare movie subject that most people will find uncomfortable but might be surprised at how the movie handles the topic. It’s about a man who loses his job and gets a new job preparing the dead for their departures from their families.
I’ll check out that other film Jim, it sounds very intriguing.
I didn’t mention the difficulty watching the film mostly because I really didn’t notice it, at least not from a technical standpoint. We all commented on it afterwards about how, for an on-location, documentary type film, it didn’t feel stomach churning like Cloverfield did and because none of us experienced that, it really never crossed my mind. I’m really interested now though to know if other people experienced that.
As for the difficulty in subject matter, I really didn’t want to spoil anything about this for anyone. I felt my mention of Apartheid, and the fact that this film is rated ‘R’, should tell the discerning that it is a difficult movie and certainly not for kids.
Then again you and I know that many parents don’t make good choices about what movies there kids see and so tons of kids that shouldn’t be seeing this will anyway. It is sad, but true. I’m with you in that I wouldn’t recommend it to them, but I also know what I see when I go to the movies…tons of too young to be in here kids watching stuff that is too much for them to comprehend and frankly to serious/scary for them to be watching.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film where the outer space aliens are so much like us mentally, but so different from us physically.”
I think that is what makes them at times comical and at others very tragic and lent such emotional depth to the story.
Just saw it and totally agree with you, the “no name” cast and almost documentary style of the movie really sucks you in to the characters and issues presented. I thought the lead actor was outstanding, certainly worthy of some kind of acknowledgement when they hand out awards. Definitely one of the coolest sci-fi flicks I’ve seen in a long time. A welcome breath of fresh air.
I couldn’t agree more with every thing you said, Stuart. It really is a welcome breath of fresh air, not just in the science fiction genre, but in movie-making itself.
By now and little spoiler talk can’t hurt…
I found it interesting at how unmotivated the aliens were. Their weaponry is far superior to that of ours and yet all they did was trade it for food. Certainly to turn on man with their weapons would have sparked a huge war between man and alien but you would at least expect them to try and leverage their power further than they apparently had.
I’ve watched some stuff online that suggests they normally have a queen to give them purpose.
Doesn’t that tell a story? At our core don’t we all need a purpose. Without purpose don’t we waste our energy and time on useless activities?
I loved this movie. I thought the Wikus character was brilliantly written and performed. He was annoying and cold yet when things started going south for him you felt sorry. You could really feel how he had grown very cold to the plight of the Prawn. He treated them with less respect than the lowest form of life and yet when he needed help you felt sorry for him. He, himself, had to get rejected before he understood.
We do that too, there are entire areas of life that we completely miss because it’s not our plight. It isn’t until we are thrust into the same shoes of those we take for granted that we notice how hard others have it.
Well said, James. I hadn’t heard that about the queen idea, but it is an interesting one. The fact that they had all those weapons and didn’t use them certainly can be looked at to represent a lot of things. Certainly one of those is the power that we potentially have inside of us that we don’t use, or use in the wrong way. It was a very powerful movie on many fronts, giving people who see it a lot to ponder.
Oof. I just saw this movie – wow. Powerful stuff. Probably some spoilers coming up…
I’m South African and 37 years old so I lived through the end of Apartheid South Africa. I’m very curious what this movie would be like to a foreigner, there is so much that I think you would miss or not notice.
For example – while it certainly draws on our Apartheid history, its even more specific a comment on our present situation, with Xenophobic attacks on black African immigrants being so common these days. You may remember the events of last year.
The “district 9” name, and the eviction notices, and the aliens being moved to a “better” place are all painfully familiar of what Apartheid was all about. But it is very telling that so much of the documentary footage of people saying “they must just go back where they came from” was of black South African people. Not all, but so much. That really resonated with what we saw last year, and what I hear every day around me.
And that is also why I find it very disturbing how the Nigerians were depicted. Its just so weird. Why would a movie with a moral standpoint like this one, pull out the tired old “Nigerians are all drug dealers, hijackers and gun runners” that is fuelling the Xenophobia here? I dont get it. Also why focus only on Nigerians as opposed to all the other people? So strange.
I did not hate Wikus, even in the beginning. Its difficult to explain if you did not grow up here. He is so incredibly familiar. He is a certain kind of earnest clown (clue – his name is van der Merwe…) he is naive, bumbling, patronising, earnest, stupid. He constantly verges on being the stereotype racist Afrikaner but never quite goes over the edge.
I was also uncertain if it was set in the future, the present or the past. I would guess the future, in which case it is strange that most of the people in positions of power are white.
Its a difficult movie to watch. But very interesting.
Oh yes, and as James said, I find in fascinating that they had all this weaponry, but did not use it. I wonder about that.
Sorry I cant stop. I dont know if you are aware that the scenery of the Alien township is exactly what our “informal settlements” look like. Not a thing is exaggerated. See that everyday.
Masha: Wow, thanks so much for the insight. I continue to be curious of how people living in South Africa will see this and you just gave some tremendous insight. I really do appreciate it. While we can see some stuff on television, I cannot imagine what it would be like actually living in that situation. Certainly we have racial issues over here, but it just isn’t the same, in my opinion, and even what has happened and continues to happen over here is so foreign to me, being a middle class white male who grew up in a farming community.
You’ll have to clue me in on the reference to his last name as I am not sure what you mean by it.
I hadn’t even thought of the Nigerian portrayal until you mentioned it…but now that you do I do wonder about the choices made there.
My brother did a MUCH better job than me: You can read his review (lets hope this link works) here
About the surname. “Van der Merwe” is a old figure of fun in many jokes. He is the inept clown who on the one hand, always gets it wrong, but on the other, always gets his own way. Everyone in South Africa knows who “Van” is.
This movie has stayed with me, even a couple of weeks after seeing it. I think one of the things that has stuck in my mind is the fact that the aliens were given human names. It seemed to me that this was the human characters’ way of humanising the aliens, just so then it would be acceptable to dehumanise them. I thought it was incredibly powerful and at the same time somewhat disturbing.
Masha: Thanks for the info and for a link to your brother’s review. I’ll check it out. And again I really appreciate your insight on this one.
Stuart: It has with me as well. Interesting thought. I hadn’t even analyzed that and yet I totally agree with you. Powerful and disturbing is a good description…the way this film sheds light on the darker side of humanity is so well done which means that it cuts to the heart of things and really makes one ashamed of our behavior over the years.
I’m reviving an old topic, hehe. I’ve watched it not so long ago. And I liked it. It was really good.
Masha, thanks for the link, it was very interesting.
Btw, Carl, I never watch trailers so I never know what to expect. 😀 It’s more interesting. I went to see District 9 in cinema, just because it was played at the time I went to the cinema, or sth like that. 😉