I thought District 9 was entertaining, but when I found out it was made by a first time director with one main character (who is not a star) and a very minimal budget, I was flabbergasted. All praise to Neil Blomkamp, Sharlto Copley, and the prawns for making me believe there is more to be expanded upon in the science fiction department.
First off, in terms of acting, bravo to Sharlto Copley. To carry a movie by yourself is very hard, and not only does he do it, but he succeeds in keeping the audience captivated. There is one particular scene in the movie where he is being tested upon, and it was that scene that catapulted Copley’s performance into one of the best I have seen this year.
Secondly, praise to Blomkamp for the humanization of the prawns. I grew very attached to these creatures and the relationships they forge with humans, children, and other prawns. These bonds are essential to elevate the movie from an interesting story to a landmark achievement (although, WALLE does it slightly better). I also admire the juxtaposition of having these humanized aliens be completely hideous to look at.
Despite the budget, the special effects are surprisingly good. The aliens as well as Wikus’s transformation were completely believable and terrifying, and the last 30 minutes of the movie is just as effective as any other special effects based feature. I could have gone without the massive gore, but perhaps the visceral nature of the slayings is necessary to properly describe the themes overtly present throughout the movie.
I almost felt when I was watching this story I was watching a news broadcast with commentary interspersed between it. This style of direction adds to the urgency of the situation and heightens the tension, almost as if watching a live robbery on television. Credit Blomkamp for choosing this style as well as using his native Country as the backdrop. Blomkamp clearly embeds his passion for this project by using Johannesburg instead of a cliché city.
Some minor criticisms exist for this movie that keep it from a pantheon of movie-making. The themes are fine, but they are extremely obvious throughout the picture, and they are driven home like a railroad spike. A film this crafty I believe might have been able to add a little subtlety or texture/gray area to the theme. Second, most of the minor characters are too one dimensional, with the exception of Wikus’s wife, who shows some change on screen. These caricatures add obvious points to the themes of the movie.
These criticisms are minor however. The movie itself is a well-paced character-driven science fiction movie with equally engrossing action and thematic elements. Neil Blomkamp is a welcome addition to the science fiction genre. I would pay big money to see his next movie, and if I could, I would try to fund it myself.