A wildly original tour-de-force that needs to be seen to be believed

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2009)

District 9 is perhaps the best science fiction film since The Matrix. Startling words for a little film out of South Africa with a mostly untested cast and crew, but it is doubtful that the phrase will be contested by many.
Going in knowing very little is key to the success of this enigmatic masterpiece of contemporary cinema. Blending techniques from the schools of cinéma vérité and avant-garde, District 9 details an alternate history of the world where a spaceship lands in South Africa in the 1980s. Its occupants, some 1-million-plus aliens, are given refugee status and forced to live in a shanty town fenced off from most of the human population.
Using government official Wilkus Van De Merwe (first time actor Sharlto Copley) as the central character of the film, District 9 jumps between being a faux documentary loaded with expert interviews, hand-held camera footage and security camera footage, to a gritty, dystopic allegory mixing in elements of Apartheid, big business and even Nazi Germany. But through seamless editing, the major jumps are barely noticeable. While some films find it hard to move from style to style without feeling jarring or blatantly forced, District 9 manages to find a masterful way of movement that feels all too natural (much like Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire).
It is because of this wildly original motif that District 9 stands out as such an amazing piece of film-making. Low budget miracles aside, the film plays out unlike anything you have ever seen. It is truly a unique and original film. Using the relatively untapped documentary style narrative for the majority of the film, the method of storytelling here is so powerful that one wonders why no one else has ever thought to make a film like this before. Doing away with complexities, it is so simple it almost pains me to think that some people just will not get it. In a decade littered with films that ape off of significantly better films or just feel stale altogether, here is a small film that is so wildly off the grid that it practically demands to be seen to be believed.
I mention some not being able to grasp the story and ideologies director Neil Blomkamp is putting forth because the film is undeniably and unapologetically anti-Hollywood. There is no flare of contemporary glamour, no big name actors or crew members (outside of producer Peter Jackson), no Transformers-style big budget effects; nothing that screams contemporary American studio-produced cinema. But at the same time, it does not feel like a low budget indie or a foreign produced festival film. It feels like it is one-of-a-kind, a starting point for a breed of experimental film-making. Films like Children of Men, Cloverfield and United 93 have used the stylistic and experimental means of cinéma vérité to their advantages over the past few years and stand out as uniquely made films. But District 9 is the first film in a very long time that really harnesses the medium as an experiment, and succeeds at being so unlike anything that has been released for the entirety of 2009.
Being so low budgeted, one would think that the special effects would not be nearly as well done as a film like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. But rather surprisingly, this film has a sense of epic grandeur that begins with a shot of the alien spacecraft near the opening of the film, and never fades away. So much is done with so little that the story of its production practically begs to be taught in film schools immediately. The aliens, or 'prawns' as they are referred to, are so realistic and lifelike that some shots look even better than those heavily budgeted films. They even have their own language, inexplicably understandable to humans, but so easily used here that it is a great special effect all on its own. Some of the makeup effects are simply astounding for how authentic and terrifying they look. And when the film saunters into being fairly violent, the horrific depictions on-screen are almost too genuine. District 9 is so polished and so seamlessly edited that one wonders why every movie does not look nearly as well done as this one.
The acting, as untested and improvised as it is, is strong across the board. Everyone feels natural in their roles, and never once do we question their acting abilities. Copley is the clear standout of the picture, expressing a multitude of emotions every chance he gets. You would never know this is his first role with just how much effort and ease he appears to be giving. I can only hope we will see more of him in the future.
The film has too few faults (outside of a few minor plot holes) that it almost feels criminal to mention them. There are a few character motives and perspectives that feel off in the final act of the film. They do not ruin the greatness of the final product, but they do detract from it. And while the film's running time practically soars by, there are more than a few things that seem a little too glossed over. A good movie always leaves you wanting more, but there were a few too many points that went unanswered that easily could have been explained in a piece of dialogue. It is a minor quibble, but nonetheless takes away from the film.
Imperfections aside, District 9 is one hell of a ride from start to finish. Some may be turned off by its style, but the film is such a great piece of art that any fan of the medium owes it to themselves to see this film. It is easily one of the best films of the year. Now, do not ruin it with a sequel!
9/10.