Hands Down the Best Film of 2009

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2009)

I considered many others. The Hurt Locker. Up. Fantastic Mr. Fox. Etc.
District 9 is an unbelievable achievement. Visually, it is mind-blowing. Blade Runner, Dark Knight, 2001, and Clockwork Orange type mind-blowing. 'The 9' takes a social commentary and spins it into one of the most original and thrilling science fiction adventures of our time.
Neil Blokamp jumps forward in movie-making-plausibility and creates something fresh, something new, something cinema needed, and something that shouldn't have been able to be pulled off - and he does it without missing the mark even once.
Sharlto Copley breaks through in his big-screen debut as an MNU(Multi-National-United) representative sent to inform the aliens of their re-location. The humans seem to have a limited knowledge of their visiting friends - even though their ship has hovered above Johannesburg for nearly 20 years. Every human act is calculated, spun to their advantage, and the aliens are misunderstood,.. mistreated.
Copley's character, Mr. Van De Merwe, will be forced to re-think his position. He will find out more in a matter of days than the rest of us have in years. He will attempt to save himself and an alien species, and he will come under attack from his own kind.
Each scene is fantastic. As the movie goes from scene to scene the plot dives deeper and deeper, until, just like every good sci-fi film, it would take many years to come to it's actual conclusion. Like 2001, and Logan's Run, District 9 needs another 2 hours and 100 million to finish the story - but its almost better that it doesn't. The future, unknown. The story, incomplete. The moment, breathtaking. The message, the importance of understanding and compassion. District 9 is hands down the best film of 2009 - nothing(that I've seen) comes close.
94/100
Very, and I mean very close to becoming my 12th "10".
Careful with some DVD format issues they had with this one - if you can't see the Alien subtitles - DON'T WaTCH IT! Without them it's more like 80/100