Jackson comes full circle

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2009)

Not many movies manage to be all of the things this movie is and get away with it; a gritty, grainy and believable perfecting of the 'shockumentary' style, a deep, thought provoking expose of the flawed human condition, and an outrageously funny & delightfully sick gore-fest.
Any other producer / director attempting to make this movie could equally have had a fractured disjointed disaster on their hands but Jackson has pulled it off incredibly well in District 9.
The mainstream big budget he now commands has been applied masterfully and with respect for the production and the viewer, there is an uncomfortable and challenging undercurrent throughout which is never compromised, and yet the insane hysteria and hilarity of Jackson's earlier works such as Brain Dead emerges once again with the main protagonist; Wikus Van De Merwe appearing as a composite of Brain Deads' Lionel Cosgrove and The Evil Deads' Ash Williams, a clear homage to the shock horror genre of the 80s and a testament to Jacksons standing in this field alongside greats such as Sam Raimi.
What is left though, after watching, over and above the vivid gore and hilarity is a genuine thoughtfulness provoked by the quite serious statements, questions and parallels which this movie makes and raises about modern society.