District 9 - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital

This is a testament that shows with a low budget, no major Hollywood backing, a movie can be made that has the power in story telling, character development, and action. I believe this film was budgeted at 30 million? That is what I had read. Peter Jackson was going to have this new comer Neil Blomkamp direct the Halo movie then that fell apart, he felt bad and basically told this young maverick I'll back your next movie... low and behold we have District 9. I couldn't believe the production values here, if this movie were made for 30 million, it looked like 100 million on film, top notch special effects, no name actors, a great story that pulls in the viewer, and the Aliens, giving them almost a Human element. So the film starts off with an alien race stranded in Johannesburg South Africa for like 30 something years, where the Aliens known as Prawns are herded into these slums and kept under a watchful eye of the MNU, a UN type agency. Then there is the protagonist named Wikus who at the beginning of the film, you get a sense he's a man way over his head, but yet a nice guy, never associate him to be the hero type but your average Joe. He get's a promotion at the MNU (MultiNational United) Wikus is a man who just follows orders, kinda nerdy, xenophobic, has a fear of the unknown, maybe too ambitious, selfish, conniving, his job is to relocate the Prawns to a new location away from human population, being more isolated from human contact. Wikus is a character the audience would balk at... In the film we see him going around District 9 evicting the Prawns using intimidation, force, lies, one particluar scene he discovers a shack with dead cow carcasses and prawn eggs, which is illegal to have. So he demonstrates an abortion and he doesn't feel sorry, he doesn't view the prawns as an equal. So Wikus doesn't think twice as he kills the prawn eggs, and they torch the shack and hear the eggs popping and he casually says, "You hear that, that popping? It's the eggs, sounds like popcorn" one would argue he is just doing his job for the MNU. BUT then as the film progresses Wikus is being hunted by the same Company he worked for. He holds the key to what the MNU really want from the Prawns---- their futuristic weapons. I think it is believable that any Nation who would come in contact with another race and they had the technology and advanced weaponary we would want it. Let's face it, Humans have been at war for 1,000s of years, it's a natural order, of course a Government would want to harness that power and use it on their enemies and show who is the Super Power. Anyways Wikus still seems manipulative, conniving as he transforms, his DNA bonding with Alien DNA thus metamorphosing into a Prawn, and his only hope is the Prawn Christopher. I think we would all do the same thing if we were in Wkius' shoes. He's desperate, scared and really just thinking about himself and how to turn back to human again. What drives him is the fear of the unknown. Then there is Christopher the alien Prawn who has found a power source that can ultimately send his race home--- what they had always wanted to do in the first place. Ironically it is Christopher even though being "alien" has human traits, has emotions. He wants to help Wikus. There is a nice scene in MNU headquarters where Christopher finds out what really is happening to his race, they are being dissected, tested on, being used essentially as guinea pigs. Wikus never knew that this is happening, it's MNU's dirty little secret being kept under wraps. Wikus realizes the Prawns never meant no harm, they ultimately didn't do anything to the Humans, it was the MNU cleverly disguising their real intentions in the form of supposedly Humanitarian efforts. One scene Wikus tells Chris and his young Prawn that the reolcation spot would be worse that District 9. The last 30 mins or so is astounding not just visually with the special effects but the action sequences. There is one scene where Wikus who towards the end runs away and we as the viewer feel a sense of anger maybe because he Leaves Chris to his fate which is certainly death but then Wikus comes back.... his ultimate redemption. He Realizes his fate is sealed and he must live with it now and that it's not about him, and ultimately finds sacrifice, he wants to help Christopher get to the mother ship, ultimately Wikus knowing that it's the right thing to do. This is what drew me into this film, the humanity, it wasn't just mindless action, if you want that go see Transformers II. I think we know that under the surface there is the allegory of Apartheid in which happened in South Africa, The War on Terror, the War in Iraq happening now. All cleverly disguised in a Sci/Fi movie. A splendid movie that must be watched.

This is a film that's very easy to be taken for granted, against all odds. As conveniently simple as possible in its storytelling, yet still carrying more baggage that one would hope for, Blomkamp's directorial debut is slow to pick up steam. But when it does...oh, wow. District 9 is a freight train that somehow manages to creep up on you. Its complex premise is filled with incessant experimentation, with documentary-esque techniques used to set the gears in motion before resorting to more traditional cinema. It may be a testament to the director that the transition is subtle enough to fall to the wayside amidst both the exhilarating action and impeccable performance by newcomer Sharlto Copley. In fact, Copley's performance must be emphasized: The radical trials that his character undergoes throughout the movie would be a difficult balancing act in the hands of any experienced actor; somehow, Copley maintains authenticity and a commitment to character that is both astonishing and emotionally crippling. Even more impressive is Copley's acting debut when one is made aware of his most prominent co-star: Christopher, a keen and determined insectoid alien. Drawing from the film's graciously veiled root themes, Blomkamp's aliens are both repulsive and oddly intriguing. Their tribulations are made clear early on, but careful crafting is done to ensure that the audience feels deep sympathy for the prawn-like organisms by the time the credits roll. This is accomplished, in part, by Peter Jackson and his digital effects company, WETA. Adhering to a $30 million budget, one wouldn't suspect that District 9 would hold the crown for the best special effects of the summer. Alas, this proves to be the case as the film moves forward, using its stunning, yet conservative flair to complement the film, as opposed to overbear it. Jackson and his team are masters of the visual arts, and it definitely shows here. Let it be clear that District 9 is less of a retelling of a story, and more of a recording of an event; traditional plot features are often underdeveloped, or even wholly absent. However, the film's jerky pacing is offset by smart, white-knuckle action that leaves you breathless. There's definitely a giddy gross-out factor here that hasn't been seen since Jackson's early years, but Blomkamp ensures that it never overstays its welcome. District 9 is strikingly original and certainly audacious, but isn't a movie that's difficult to like. On the contrary, you'd be hard pressed to find a film all year that is as satisfying and complete as Blomkamp's science fiction thriller. And, In the wake of unrealized visions and bloated wastes of cinema, that's a staggering accomplishment. District 9 is an invigorating and intelligent climax to 2009's summer, and should not be missed.

After reading some of the reviews here I felt I needed to write my own. It is a well written movie. People saying there would be no way to evict 1.5 million aliens in one day forget it wasn't just the main protagonist, he had a team helping him, going around as he was doing the same thing. It was one of the first few scenes too, where he talked to the team. Also, the reactions from the aliens are legitimate, and 1.5 million aliens would not cause an uprising because there was air support not to mention the thousands of armed people. We did see in the movie that some aliens did have a violent reaction which resulted in their death. There is also the fact the main protagonist IS a simple bureaucrat, that's the point of the movie. It wouldn't work with an average civilian being dumb or the head of MNU, it had to be the guy who didn't know any better then to touch things he doesn't know about. Though I personally disliked the building of making it seem as a bio-weapon when it was not. Another point is that people say the UN would have stepped in- No, it wouldn't, because the UN doesn't have to exist in this universe. Movies events do NOT exist in our universe thus have different histories leading to different events. If that was the case, in 1981 when the aliens arrived, there would have been commentary on possible Soviet weaponry or something. Do NOT apply our history to a movie when the events are NOT in our universe. As a whole I enjoyed it especially because the movie made points on the statement of the refugee crisis that had been going on for the past two decades at the time of conception for the movie. The writers made it CLEAR they were making an example of the blatant racism, and xenophobia of refugee camps. Aliens in terms of people are just people that came from another place (xenophobic) and the entire movie just replaces human aliens for extraterrestrial aliens. I suspect people calling this bad writing are actually feeling called out for their blatant racism and degradation of refugees, especially because refugee camps are almost EXACTLY like the ones then and even now. They also then hint at animal testing and other forms of inhumane behavior done and how they are not treated ethically, or with respect. This is exemplified by all the bio lab scenes. This movie is just a giant call out post against racism, bigotry, xenophobia, animal testing, etc and I wholly suspect those that don't like it saw it and didn't like feeling called out like that. It is a good movie, the actors played their parts well. Even the head of MNU or whoever he is, the father in law to the protagonist, he was conflicted on helping his son in law, or helping the genetics testing and that was very evident. The one thing I did not like was near the end, how quickly the protaginist change his mind about things but given the circumstances it makes sense too. He recognized the transformation was inevitable once the ship crashed, so he might as well help his friend escape. An especially important thing to note is the fact the MNU didn't want the aliens to actually leave. They wanted to move them to degrade them more. Not escape, but to degrade a clearly very advanced civilization even more.

Making some interesting points about how people often interact with minority groups, "District 9" is more than your standard story about aliens. An alien ship has come to Earth and the aliens have been forced to live in a shantytown in South Africa for 20 years. The movie focuses on how people treat these new neighbors. There are graphic scenes with dead and mutilated bodies (mostly alien) plus weapons which tear people apart, so it isn't for the squeamish. Personally, I cringed a bit at the start but got used to the nauseating parts about halfway through the movie. The story is rather interesting, the acting is decent, and the directing is well done, so it was worth it. The aliens done by Weta, the same company behind "Lord of the Rings" and "Avatar", are very different and yet realistic. There are basically two parts to this movie - the documentary-style build-up showing the conditions the aliens are forced to live in, and the pursuit after one of the humans starts to cooperate with the aliens. The human in question, Wikus, is in charge of a team from MNU, a weapons corporation designated to evict the aliens from their shanties so they can be moved to even smaller concentration camp style quarters. At the start Wikus dislikes the prawns (a derogatory term for the aliens) as much as anyone. During the eviction operation, Wikus accidentally gets exposed to a substance which starts to transform him slowly into an alien. Since the alien weaponry can only be unlocked by their DNA, Wikus becomes the one man who can fire them. Headed by his father-in-law, MNU wants the ability to utilize the weaponry at all costs, including Wikus' death. Wikus manages to escape capture and is aided by one of the aliens and the alien's son. The alien is trying to travel home and the two form a cautious alliance. To accomplish their goals, they are up against the corporation as well as Nigerian gangs who have similar designs on using the alien weaponry. Being in close contact with the alien, Wikus learns more about them and gains a better appreciation for their situation. One can easily draw parallels between how the humans in the movie treat the aliens and how various minority groups have been treated over time. The humans don't actively try to learn anything about the aliens; therefore, as an unknown, the aliens become something to fear and battle against. They get pushed aside and scorned. When it comes down to it though, the aliens are very much like the humans. They have similar emotions, children whom they care for, and just want to go home.

Fresh, Original SF Story I've never seen anything like it, and what I saw was a delightful, fresh story about aliens stuck on a planet they had not intended to visit. Major kudos to the whole movie team for telling a difficult story, shot through with human insight and sensitivity, set in the political hotbed of Johannesburg, South Africa, without succumbing to a political agenda. Weta Digital continued its firmly established track record of producing special effects so outstanding that they are completely invisible. Those aliens are _real_; you'll have to watch the production clips to confirm otherwise. This was after they did King Kong (2005) but before Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). The film was produced by Peter Jackson's Wingnut team, with credits for Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. (I will confess that it was because of their names and of course Weta Digital that I even noticed the movie.) It was director Neill Blomkamp's first feature film, and even allowing for the fact that he stood on the shoulders of these titans of the modern film industry, he did an outstanding job. It was also the first feature film for the star, Sharlto Copley, but you'd never be able to tell that he was a rookie from his performance in District 9. His Wilkus van der Merwe character is as polished and believable (even in such an outlandish setting) as anything you'll see coming from Hollywood. Of course, there's always something to whine about. The ending is somewhat satisfying, but the film stops short of the complete story, leaving unresolved plot elements open. That was a disappointment, but not quite enough to take away a star from the rating. The basic plot element of a big defense company wanting to use alien DNA so they can make the aliens work is really implausible. Putting on my aerospace engineer hat, I have to note that if you demonstrate to us monkey boys that a system does work and put a working model into our hands, we'll figure out how to build it without need for extraterrestrial DNA to unlock the toys. But my major whine is aimed at Sony Entertainment's production of the actual DVD; they loaded it down with so many previews that it took 15 minutes just to get to the point where I could view the actual movie. And what the heck was a Michael Jackson video doing in the startup for "District 9"? Maybe they just wanted to show another version of an ugly alien life form, but, seriously, never put an image like that in my had again.

Absolutely recommend! Bought this DVD a long time ago, before streaming. Glad I did! Best DVD. Unique!

District 9 is a very surprising film. I am drawn to this film and its story. I like science and science fiction If we are to survive we, in the long run, need to reach out to the frontier of outer space beyond planet Earth. Yet we must remember in our solar system planet Earth is the only planet we can go outside without special suits and machines. It will take at least another human generation before we can live in the harsh environments such as Mars or the Asteroids. So do we have the time before planet Earth becomes a sewer that cannot support comfortable human life? As a life form we humans are being foolish. If we are not careful we will end up without a place to live. We can no longer rely on magical thinking to get ourselves out of trouble. We need to be smart about a great many things. Especially global warming, population growth, food production, care for our fellow human beings, promote kind and just civilizations, control wars, you name it. One area where we are being very foolish is the lack of control over multinational corporations which are basically artificial constructs that have become so powerful where can see first hand that absolute power corrupts absolutely as in the end they are controlled humans. The MNU corporation in the film is a good example. If we don't get smart about the control corporations we will end as prawns or pawns or slaves. We do need corporations for jobs, goods, and many services. However, we don't need the corporations to be in charge of everything, especially in charge of our governments.

I think this is one of those movies you should only watch once. It is great the first time because there is so much to see and absorb and the story grabs you and hauls you along with the movie. The first time I saw it I got totally caught up in the visuals. The second time, not so much. The first time I was stunned by the content, the gore, and what was happening to the hapless protagonist. The second time around, I knew what was happening, what was about to happen, and where it was all going, and I lost interest. For one thing, the first half is very fast paced. The rest of it lags behind and never quite matches the first part for originality. Definitey worth that first viewing, though.