District 9

Dir. Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley & Jason Cope

First off i enjoyed District 9. Not as much as I thought I would but I enjoyed it none the less. The film, for me, was split into 3 parts; obviously the beginning, middle and end.

The opening scenes of D9 were probably the best way to introduce a film i've seen in a while. Set in a sort of Mockumentary way, D9 introduces you to Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) who is given the role of leader in the quest to evict all Aliens or "Prawns" out of District 9. The whole opening sequence is shot via handicam ala Cloverfield and provides a realistic and gritty tone to begin the film. Sharlto plays his character very well by trying to be very camera friendly and reacting to alot of situations to which the audience will think "What will I do in that situation?" Out of nowhere comes the traditional disruption to set the tone for the rest of the film.

The middle section is where D9 dragged off for me really. I enjoyed the plot lines and everything but the whole seemed to long winded and drawn out just to get to the near excellent finale. A whole bunch of characters are introduced to the film out of nowhere in order to make Wikus more down to earth and relatable to the audience.

The finale brought the whole film back to life for me in term of action and character emotion. This is where the audience finally get to relate to the prawns and can understand what is driving a certain prawn to remain in District 9. This finale contain everything from light hearted jokes, explosive action and a completely thought about ending.

I was reminded of a alot of things while i was watching District 9, like the opening scene in a sort of Slum setting reminded me of City of God and probably unintentionally Wikus' final battle attire reminded me of a Backstreet Boys video.

I enjoyed the first and final parts of District 9 but thought it would be a bit better than it was. In terms of Oscar buzz i would say that Sharlto Copley would be on the shortlist for a Best Actor nomination and the film itself has a good chance of gaining a Best Picture nomination now that the Academy have increased the nomination field from 5 to 10.

****

(All reviews can be given a maximum of 5 *'s and i will not give 1/2's and 1/4's. I will write reviews on films i have recently seen and will review other films upon request)