A classic

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2009)

Neil Blompkamp and the team have really delivered a great film here, in my opinion. One of the things I love is that it has obvious connections to other features with similar themes and settings -- notably the (soon-to-be-remade) '80s miniseries "V" and the excellent "Alien Nation" -- and yet it has a startlingly fresh and exciting approach all of its own.
Just about everything here appeals to me -- an intriguing story with powerful allegorical elements, and it's VERY political; it's skilfully told, with a good balance of action, drama and humour, excellent SFX (the aliens are terrific), strong performances and it's such a pleasure to see a film in this genre that doesn't regard all its viewers as uncritical clones of Comic Book Guy. It's quite gripping throughout and the final showdown between the hero and the security forces is tremendously exciting. The documentary style really works here and the hand-held camera work is for once a very effective tool, with Blomkamp very cleverly weaving us you in and out of the 'actuality' style.
The choice of setting is a brilliant touch in itself and it's good to hear Sarth Effrican accents right up front. It's terrific to see such an accomplished and thoughtful work coming from a country that was for a long time best known in films terms for the execrable 'The Gods Must Be Crazy'.
Unusually for a high-concept sci-fi flick, the plot elements are sparingly revealed, and many are left unexplained. It's also those rare movies with an ending wide open for a sequel ... but one that I'd really like to see. So many questions left deliciously unanswered ... what IS the story with the aliens? Why are they so seemingly so passive? Are they -- as it appears -- merely a degraded worker caste, or is there more to it than meets the eye? Will our hero be redeemed?
Sharlto Copley gives an amazing performance in the lead role and it's part of what sets this movie apart from prefabbed Hollywood dross like 'Aramgeddon' or '2012'. In the hands of Michael Mann or Roland Emmerich, the role would have gone to an obvious 'everyday hero' type like (urgh) Russell Crowe, but Copley fearlessly plays Wikus with such an amazingly convincing nebbish persona that it at first left me wondering whether the whole thing was heading for 'Scary Movie' territory. But fear not -- it rocks. I was blown away to discover that Copley was not a career actor and indeed had never acted until he appeared in the original short-film version. Incredible -- I predict big things for this guy.
I have no doubt that (at least in artistic terms) Blomkamp is going to be very glad indeed that he didn't end up directing Halo. This will undoubtedly come to be seen as one of the great sci-fi films of its time and I sincerely hope there is a sequel. A no-brainer for any serious sci-fi fan -- just go and see it.