Another One

Rating: 9/10 (8 November 2009)

Earlier this year I saw Moon, and thought it was one of the best Science Fiction films I've seen in a long time. I also thought that it would be a while before I saw another one just as good. I was wrong. District 9 is just as good, albeit very different. However, the two films did have a couple things in common. First, they are both very intelligently written. I have to admit, I wasn't taken in by D-9 right off the bat. Much of that had to do with the fact that this odd little character, Wikus Van De Merwe, seemed as if he was going to play a pivotal role, and initially, I just couldn't see that happening. I couldn't have been more wrong. This is one of the best developed characters I've seen in a movie. As another comment alluded to, the transformation that Wikus makes from the beginning of the film to the end is nothing short of astonishing. Sharlto Copley's performance is brilliant, and it is one that definitely needs to be remembered come awards time. And the movie itself is a pleasure to watch. It is thoroughly entertaining and it gives the audience what they came for, but so much more. We get big explosions. We get guts and gore. But we also get a powerful story of hope and redemption (as was the case in Moon). We also get a story that revolves around some very tough ethical concerns and questions (also, like Moon). And that's the type of depth I like to see in any movie, Sci-Fi or otherwise.