District 9

[andrews]

I've decided that I am going to see this - I liked the trailer and I like Peter Jackson. I'll probably get there on Sunday.

[ejwrank]

I realise this is the first review and don't want to put you off but my husband I saw this last night and thought it was awful. My husband writes:

Like all too many films we have seen recently this film is BORING. It starts out interestingly enough but from the start it seems unsure if it wants to be a reasonably straight sci fi film, a political allegory or a sci fi comedy. The film is set in present-day Johannesburg, which has been visited by grotesque aliens known as shrimps who have emerged from a giant spaceship that hovers over the city. The shrimps have been forced into squalid squatter camps but they escape. Wikus Van Der Merwe leads the team that tries to round them up, but he has got the job because he is the son of the head of the multi-national company in charge of the effort, and he is pretty hopeless. It doesn't help that he looks a bit like Alan Partridge and there's a chorus of journalists and others who occasionally pop up to give a commentary in a rather Office-like way. The idea of separation and squatter camps has obvious apartheid overtones, and there are also thuggish Nigerians in the camps who deal in shrimp weaponry and body parts, just as there are people from all over Africa in South Africa trying to eke out a living. The cannabalistic Nigerians are portrayed in a highly xenophobic way that leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth, so to speak. But after the thematically very mixed up first half hour or so the film becomes simply a Rambo-type action movie with vast amounts of blood and guts and an extremely limited vocabulary beginning with f. This soon becomes extremely tedious and we were bored stiff (though it may appeal to not terribly bright 15-year-old boys).

Incidentally we have seen a number of terribly dull films lately. These include Swedish horror film Let The Right One In, which got wonderful reviews but although it's slightly creepy and pervy we found it extremely flat and uninteresting, also Synecdoche, which is excellent for the first 20 minutes when it's about a family and illness and death (and quite funny!) but becomes terrifically pretentious and dull for the subsequent two hours (or whatever), not to speak of the unrelievedly tedious Bustin' Down the Door, about middle aged surfers reliving their glory days in 1970s. That was probably the dullest of all, mindblowingly uninteresting from the first few seconds, and why was it shown at the Imax? A total waste.

[AYBG]

Sounds like cinema isn't your thing to be honest...

[ejwrank]

Sorry but can't agree with you AYBG about films not being our thing-- we're just telling it as we see it and as we see a lot of films (and many of them are good -- I said really nice things about Julie and Julia recently), it is inevitable that we've also seen some bad ones. And the nice thing about this site is we can be honest and explain what we feel and everyone of course should make up their own minds.

[AYBG]

I'm sorry if I offended you. I have a personal mantra though, that is if everyone else is wrong, they're probably not.
Similarly, should I think the same on District 9 when I see it, specifically that it's first act was "thematically very mixed up", I would suspect myself of failing to follow it. No shame in that, and there's always the DVD. But should I declare the opinions of the vast majority to be completely wrong, well I'd remember my mantra.

[Calicocat]

Just back from seeing District 9 with my husband and one of his mates.

I read the previous review and it just goes to show that we all think differently....... I thought this was one of the best films of the year...... easily a 9/10 up there with Star Trek !!!!!!!!

Yeah, it was filmed in documentary style and the lead character was a prat. But, the film wouldn't have worked if Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt was the lead. The Nigerians were cannibalistic because they believed that if they ate parts of the aliens then they would absorb the ability to use their weapons. Societies all over the world believe in this mystical absorbtion of special powers, i.e. rhino horns etc etc etc. There were a lot of stereotypes in the film but, hey, that's life.

Yeah, there was lots of violence but each faction had its own interests. The private corp wants to make money, the aliens want to survive, the lead character wants to get out of the situation, the mercenaries just want to blow things up......

The not terribly bright 18 year olds sitting behind us left 15 minutes before the end to go to the pub.

All I can say is..... go and see it with an open mind and make your own judgements.

9/10

CalicoCat

[Rjeynes]

Saw the film last night, hadn't read any reviews purposely so I could go in "cold" as they say. My brother was keen to see it so that was good enough for me. I can understand both the positive and negative views of the film, it's not going to appeal to everyone but the film achieves what I believe it set out to: "to be a real life story of what could happen with first contact with an alien race".

It's not "Independence day" which means it's not main stream but holds a very different appeal. The story is believable. This could really happen tomorrow and the stereotypes in the film are purposely there to enforce the point. I like the way the lead character develops in the film, he is as noted, the bosses’ son in law and not a particularly strong leader figure but plays a great role. I think if I started turning into an alien I might start using the odd “F” word and getting fairly violent. There are some good effects in the second half on the film and there’s a good plot line throughout.

Clearly I’m a big fan of this movie, so I’ll leave you with this final point. Go watch it with an open mind! It’s original and, in my view only, it’s good!
Easily 9/10

[andrews]

I have just returned from seeing this film at Boldon, where Screen 1 was about 50% full, with about 100 people there. We don't get that many for some of the free screenings in Boldon!
I went along with an open mind, as always,having read the previous reviews from some of our members. It's a good job we are all different, and enjoy different genres of film. This film is a sci-fi, and will not appeal to everyone.
I thought it was brilliant. I liked the documentary-style opening, and how the characters were introduced and developed. The lead character began the film looking and sounding like a complete idiot, and went on to develop into an action-man!
There was a good plot, and the special effects in the second half of the film were excellent. As Rjeynes mentioned above, it is not Independence Day, but I feel it is possibly in the same mould.
I felt that we were left with a bit of a cliffhanger.... will there be a District 10?

Overall, an excellent piece of sci-fi, full of tension and good plot - 9/10 from me.

[phunkygal]

will there be a District 10?

yup but it may be a prequel its not decided yet.. theyll prob do both I suspect given the $$$'s its made
I know the ending led to a 'district 10' but is a bit oceans 11/12/13 for a title i reckon theyll call it something else

[leeh14]

this film is amazing! Well done Neil! However is it as good as MOON????

BIG QUESTION