Horrible Main Character/ Well Conceptualized Aliens - Mixed Bag

Rating: 6/10 (30 September 2009)

After good word of mouth from work and a sky-high average vote, decided to check out "District 9" in the theater. Overall it was a mild disappointment given the expectations. Went in knowing very little. Starting out what really bothered foremost was an absolutely grating, idiotic protagonist dumbed down and really single-handedly written as to almost sink the picture. He doesn't think, wails and complains, and mixes what sounded like Australian and Dutch accents on his English all while cussing feverishly. Acting isn't the problem here as newcomer Shalto Copely acts his heart out, but the writing is a joke as writers throw logic and reason to the way-side in exchange for shoot-em-up action and foolishness. Ever watch really bad horror movies where cheesy characters do ridiculously thoughtless things? Well you get that here unfortunately too. Had the protagonist been created more cerebral instead of such a twit the movie would've made it to at least solid footing. It has a fabulous alien concept and rendering as well as a decent plot. Minor grumbles include how one-track the "evil weapons" corporation was, the now heavily heavily clichéd in all types of movies single female voice singing screaming "drama", and the use of "News and Interviews" as sort of a pseudo-documentary which frankly detracts and distracts from story-telling. District 9 had potential to make it to much greater heights as a lot of effort and thought has obviously been put into details of effects, locations, costumes, dialects, languages and sociology of what's going on. It's executed marvelously. But At it's core it's too much of a violent shoot-em running amok - rewriting is needed. Worth a watch though for the spectacle of it all.