‘District 9’ is an Innovative Epic
-----‘District 9’ was probably the most excited I have ever gotten for a film sans knowing who the main character was. The intrigue of the original trailer, a documentary style take on aliens in a real life setting, was riveting in its own right. This of course begged the question, could the actual film hold up as well as the revolutionary trailer? Yes. Hell yes.
-----‘District 9’ takes place in Johannesburg, a city in South Africa. When an alien ship suddenly appears one day, no one knows what to do. After finally drilling into the ship, we see a race ravaged by hunger and poor living conditions, stranded on a broken ship. And so, District 9 was born, a holding area directly under the ship where the aliens would be held. After decades of prejudice and hate towards the creatures, now living in a slum full of gang violence and prostitution, the time has come for action. The aliens are now going to be moved to a new holding area, but evicting them may be easier said than done.
-----The above premise is but the tip of the iceberg that is this extraordinary film. To tell you any more would be to take away one of the aspects that I loved most when watching the film, the fact that I had no idea what the movie was about beyond the basic premise, lacking information on main characters, subplots, and any other preconceptions on what I was about to see. And I’ll do my best to applaud the astounding performance of star Sharlto Copley without ruining the movie for you. Sharlto’s performance is absolutely magnificent. Starting as the dorkiest of office drones, Copley leaves the audience questioning whether or not they even like this person, nonetheless expect him to transform in front of their eyes. At times the most lovable guy on Earth, Copley brilliantly walks the line between someone you rigorously despise, and someone that you can’t stop cheering for. His transformation is a believable one, as he never breaks true character, remaining real on the screen, even as he is forced into situations more suitable for a Christian Bale character. Capturing a plethora of emotions and never fitting into archetypes, Copley’s performance should earn him stardom and an Oscar nod, but whether the Academy is ready to open their hearts to a film with this much action is a tossup. One thing that is for sure, you’ll find yourself engaged in the outcome of the film to a near stressful level.
-----Peter Jackson continues to make quality and groundbreaking cinematic feats a reality as the producer of ‘District 9.’ Neill Blomkamp also debuts as Director of the film, and if ‘District 9’ is any indication, he’s here to stay. The movie boldly employs the use of a documentary style for the first twenty or so minutes of the film, making everything feel grounded and somehow significant. And what’s more, he avoids over-killing the technique to the point where it is just a cheap gimmick, as he starts to depart from it as the story requires. The underlying themes are also prevalent, but never to the point where the film is merely preaching to you. When it comes to the story, the film does not settle for being a dated and shallow political statement, but instead tells its story and lends its morals to a timeless picture of far greater significance. Their efforts equate to one of the best alien films ever created, with an environment so quickly and expertly crafted into a wild hybrid of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘Independence Day.’ And that’s not to mention amazing action that paints a picture of what ‘Terminator Salvation’ wished it could be.
-----Technically, ‘District 9’ boasts some of the best visual effects I’ve ever seen. The spaceship floating above District 9 looks as real as the Eifel Tower, and presents itself as a 9th Wonder one could actually witness were they to travel to South Africa. The aliens are gruesome and gritty, never wavering in clarity or realism, staying constantly original and crisp. And supplementing all of the stunning effects work is some absolutely beautiful cinematography. The sound is also something to brag about, with the alien language avoiding all generic and cliché takes you’ve seen a thousand times before, instead creating a believable and incomprehensible language. Likewise when guns sound off and explosions roar, you’ll immediately understand the gravity of the situation. This only compliments the amazing makeup and special effects teams, all working together seamlessly to make our hero one of the most banged up and mutated characters ever to grace the silver screen. I am rarely moved by any goriness I witness on screen, but there is a scene or two here that so brilliantly combines what’s on and off the camera that you can’t help but wince. After succeeding in all of these areas, the film doesn’t stop its uncanny resume of brilliant technical work, providing one of the year’s best musical scores. Subtle throughout most of the film, the score stays out of the way until it slowly wrenches your heart out in the midst of our protagonists struggle.
-----I could write a novel about ‘District 9.’ To spell out all of the themes and all of the ideas that came together to create the experience would be an endless conversation that I’m sure to partake in for decades to come, as we’ll all continuously call ‘District 9’ out as the revolutionary classic it is. To write a review for someone who has already seen the movie is to open up another can of worms, as I have tried to avoid giving anything away that might hinder your initial viewing of the film. The movie expertly takes a number of small ideas we’ve seen here and there, and works them into a coherent and likewise original cinematic experience. I’m reminded of ‘The Matrix’ when I see ‘District 9,’ because it reeks of a film that will be mimicked in its techniques for the next decade. It should also be noted that the film makes use of some visuals reminiscent of video games, often displaying the first person shooter view on screen, and containing some story elements I’ve seen scattered here and there on modern gaming consoles. The bottom line is you have to see the movie before you can even begin to fathom its greatness. ‘District 9’ is a movie that everyone should experience, and ranks with ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Watchmen’ as one of the year’s definitive cinematic creations.
-----Oscar Watch: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing…these are a few of the awards that ‘District 9’ should get Nominations for, but how the Academy will take to a mid-August film that boasts some amazing action is another matter entirely. Hopefully, due to the increased number of Best Picture Nominations this year, courtesy of ‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘District 9’ has a shot. We can at least expect to see it recognized in the technical areas that Summer Blockbusters normally are, like Sound Mixing.
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