An excellent film of genuine Science Fiction

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2009)

I am accustomed to watch "science fiction" movies to discover they are really adventure stories set on a futuristic, extraterrestrial or high-tech context.The emphasis is always on the explosions and special effects, ignoring the authentic basis from the genre: provocative ideas, reflections on human condition and speculation about the future of the human beings.So, genuine Science Fiction (yes, with capital letters) movies (like the extraordinary Gattaca and Children of Men) do not appear very frequently.I am happy to say District 9 is one of those fascinating movies, and it offers a high level of satisfaction for two facets of spectators: the ones who look for action and special effects and the ones who want something more thought-provoking and which feeds the brain.
The main character from this movie is brilliant because he shows a very interesting ambiguous morality and an amazing emotional evolution during the movie.The story is also excellent for many elements.On the one hand, it shows us that the "villians" are not only those who have hate on their hearts and weapons on their hands, but also those who rationalize their behaviour in order to disguise (at least on their minds) even the worst elements from human condition.Another very interesting aspect from the screenplay is the culture crash it shows, because it points out the human prejudice against anything which is not traditional.All those allegories would have become dull if they were not endorsed by a simultaneously subtle and brilliant satire which makes us occasionally smile, and which proves director and screenwriter Neill Blomkamp takes his movie seriously, but not enough to deny the intrinsic humor from some scenes.In summary, a great combination of ideas, drama, humor and suspense.
But District 9 is not only political judgement and abstract concepts.The deep narrative is accompanied by extraordinary special effects and a perfect direction.The action sequences are brilliant, not only because of their manufacture, but also because they endorse the screenplay and they obey to the narrative flow from it.But let's go back to the special effects.The studio Weta deserves all kind of recognition for their monumental work, not only because of the extraterrestrial elements, but also because of the creation of authentic performances in the aliens.
The only fail I found on this movie is that a few elements from the screenplay feel a bit forced.But that is a minor fail, and it did not avoid me from liking this movie very much.District 9 is a fascinating movie, which does not only analyze about potent and controversial subjects, but which also made me have an exciting, full of suspense and hugely entertaining time.Pity this excellent movie went completely unnoticed in the North American box office, while the tedious Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will end up as the most economically successful film from 2009.I recommend District 9 with a lot of enthusiasm.