Tuesday, February 16, 2010

District 9

We watched this one the other day, and I liked it quite a bit. One reason might be that I hadn't read the reviews when it came out, so I didn't really know what to expect. I also didn't know a single member of the cast, so I didn't have any preconceived ideas about their character. They were all very good, I must say, and the lead was even better than that.

The idea is that a giant spaceship is hovering over Johannesburg. Eventually it's boarded and the occupants (called prawns because of their resemblance to, well, prawns) and installed in District 9, a slum on the outskirts of the city. The movie begins in a pseudo-documentary style on the day when the prawns are to be moved to District 10. Things go very wrong, especially in the case of the leader of the removal group. I'd tell you what happens to him, but it's something you need to find out for yourself. Let's just say that he finds it very unpleasant, and it leads to his finding out some unsavory secrets as the movie gradually drops the pseudo-doc style and makes the transition to an all-out balls-to-the-wall action movie in the final act.

There are some nice surprises as things advance, and while some things are left unexplained, maybe we'll find out the answers in the sequel that's clearly being telegraphed in the final scenes. It should be interesting, and I'll be on board.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We saw it on the big screen last summer. I told it is was a good one!

Jeff

PS - the unsubtle apartheid thing works pretty well too.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I liked it too, much to my surprise. And I am anxious for the sequel-not usually the case.

George said...

I thought DISTRICT 9 was the sleeper movie of last summer. I, too, eagerly await the sequel.

Dave Zeltserman said...

one of my favorites from last year. That Robocop 2 type weaponry is getting in vogue of late--Avatar used it also!

Carl V. Anderson said...

I had the pleasure of seeing this in the theater and was quite surprised by how good it was. I've since watched it on DVD with my wife and she enjoyed it and I thought it held up really well on a second viewing.