Wow.  I was very interested in this film well before I sat down in the movie theater.  I have to give the marketing guys props for this because it was one of the best ad campaigns for a film I have seen in a long time.  District 9 is a fascinating film about aliens that are attempting to co-exist with humans in a dingy and unforgiving world.  Wikus Van De Merwe (newcomer Sharlto Copley) becomes our eyes and ears as he becomes more and more sympathetic to the aliens plight.

What’s good about it–Fantastic visual effects; it does what they should and they add to the movie and they do not BECOME the movie.  Filmed in Johannesburg, the cameramen went down and dirty and went for guerrilla filmmaking which gives the film a raw and grizzly feel.   The story is original and very compelling.  It was filmed in a very documentary style and you fall right into the world that the filmmakers created.  I was fascinated and I had no idea where the film was going to take me.  And I was moved too!  The film had something to tell me and I was angered by the aliens and by the humans.  It turned the camera around on us and made us think.  The acting was very good and I felt a connection with Wikus as his eyes were slowly opened to a different perspective.  You feel something and you want to do something after you see the film and that is a difficult artistic achievement. 

What’s not so good–Make no bones about it, this is an action movie.  For me the third act was a little bit of a let down as far as the story goes.  It became extremely violent (we even had our summer movie giant killer robot at the end).  It reminded me that I was not watching a message film with action, but an action film with a message.  Not really a critique, just know what movie you are watching…it will help.  There are a lot of questions left unanswered, but the answers are not easy ones to find (especially if you parallell it’s message with our world today).  It can be messy and a tough ride, but hang on because it is worth it.

I will want to watch this film again, and I wonder if a sequel might be in the future.  It doesn’t have to be, but the story certainly could go on.  I would highly recommend seeing this film, but bring your trash bags in case blood splatters on your shirt.  A-