Caleb's+DISTRICT+9+Review

District 9

 Directed by Neill Blomkamp

 //District 9//, 2009's summer blockbuster, is well known as an underdog movie and for it's low budget of 30 million dollars. Director Neill Blomkamp put out a short version of the film on youtube before creating //District 9// called //Alive in Joburg//. It is not as nearly well known as //District 9//.



The movie stars Sharlto Copley as Wikus Van De Merwe, the main protagonist, who is exposed to a substance near the beginning of the movie that slowly transforms him into an alien. His acting in the film is nothing to write home about, but it suffices. The plot takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, when an unidentified flying object comes to a halt over the city, hovering above for a many years until humans board the craft and find many sick and dying aliens that they throw into camps. The movie also doubles as a commentary on apartheid. The general preface of the film is that the MNU, an organization for relations with extra-terrestrial civilizations, is attempting to move all aliens from District 9 into another location.



The films special effects are where it shines the most. For a budget of 30 million, Blomkamp does a __**//SPECTACULAR//**__ job with the special effects. The aliens look as if they were real, for aliens at least. The weaponry and arsenal of the aliens was quite cool as well. It will certainly be interesting to see where Blomkamp takes his filmmaking in the future after seeing what he can do with such a low budget film.

District 9 came as a surprise to many people including myself. I went to see with no expectations at all and found a diamond in the rough. The acting was not its strongest point but everything else out-shined the shortcoming to make a film recommendable to any sci-fi fan or even anyone looking for a good action movie. All in all, District 9 is a good movie with a lot to offer to almost anyone.