A while ago I brought some news about a secret project in the works that could possibly be the Halo movie because of all the viral advertising that hit different cities within the U.S. As more information was revealed to the public it looked more and more that this was not going to be the Halo movie we were all expecting, instead it was going to be a new breed of alien movie, one unlike anyone has ever seen. District 9 is none other than the follow up to the short film directed by Neill Blomkamp called Alive in Joburg.

Story:
It’s been over 20 years since the aliens in Johannesburg had made their presence known to the world. The camp which was set up for them is becoming to small for their numbers and the people of Johannesburg are getting fed up with them living so close to their city.  A set of MNU agents are dispensed to order eviction notices to the residents of District 9 and move them to a better facility, out side they city. While inspecting one of the aliens homes, Wikus Van De Merwe, the head of the MNU eviction team,stumbles across something that will change his view on the alien epidemic forever.

Characters:
Sharlto Copley plays the character Wikus Van De Merwe, a happy go lucky, by the books MNU againt with what one would call a perfect life. His wife Tania Van De Merwe played by the very beautiful Vanessa Haywood, who stands by her husband as best she can while he becomes the most wanted man in the world.. There is also Robert Hobbs who plays Ross Pienaar, the man who is currently hunting down Wikus as he becomes the new target of the governments experimentation department. Louis Minnaar as Piet Smit, the head honcho for MNU playing not only as a man looking out for one’s self but as a man who must also think about his country.

Impressions:
I could review this movie like a thirteen year old boy who wears a 59fifty cap tilted to one side with the sticker still on the rim while trying to pick up girls at the food court by saying, “Great movie, kick ass!!!! must see gangsta 4 life!!!” but I would be selling this film short. No, this film has far more going for it than any G-unit wearing teen could ever see.  When you start watching the film, you’ll instantly find that there’s not a single actor that seems familiar. That’s very true, most of the actors including Sharlto Copley (minus Alive in Joburg) have never acted before.  For the vast majority this is their first and hopefully not last. When a movie like this is done, unknowns are perfect due to the fact they help bring a movie from a fantasy to a possible reality.  I find the best reason to use unknowns is to make the viewer sit on edge guessing the ending.  Major actors normally live at the end of films allowing us to predict the ending of the movie before it even starts. The film also hits several good points such as what fear of the unknown does to us and the reaction and response a government must due when the illusion of control is stripped. Neill Blomkamp with such grace, like a magician carefully and stealthily forces us to think one thing at the beginning of the movie and then has us feel completely different at the end.

Just like any good story you need some believable characters and so we are treated to some of the BEST C.G. ever done in movie history. The aliens of District 9, also known as “Prawns” have been so well integrated into the film, that they look like they are actually there interacting with the human actors. The last great thing about this film has got to be the idea of this being real life. Unlike some blockbuster action movies, we aren’t bombarded by pointless action sequences and cheesy one-liners allowing us to take this film more seriously then it being like another Die Hard sequel, which I hear is in the works.

This movie touches on love, life, greed and fear while exposing us to great story telling and even better acting performances. Whether you check this out now,  in the cheap seats, or maybe even when it comes out on video, this is definitely a must see experience.

If anyone hasn’t seen the short film Alive at Joburg I decided to post if for you, enjoy.