A brilliant science fiction/action film.

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2009)

I had very strange expectations for this film. It was originally shown in the trailer to be a documentary or mockumentary. Generally, I don't see those types of movies but in this case it was a very interesting way to tell the story. It also looked like there was going to be a lot of shaky-cam which I feel got old after Cloverfield. There wasn't as much of that as I expected. Now the trailers gave very little information as far as the plot goes.
The story is basically about an alien spacecraft that lands in South Africa and after a few decades the people decide to send them away to a concentration camp known as District 9 because of their hostile behaviours. There's a lot more to the story, but that shouldn't be revealed before you see the film.
The main star of the film is a complete unknown. Sharlto Copley from South Africa. I don't think it matters that District 9 has no major stars, these people are all South African and give great performances. It's directed by Neill Blomkamp who is a first time director and produced by Peter Jackson.
The reason I thought District 9 was an effective film was because it was going a different direction with the alien movie. In all alien themed movies in the past, the aliens have been the enemies. In District 9, we are the enemies. I refused to believe that I would actually be rooting for the aliens in this movie, but District 9 achieved it. In my theater, there was applause when a group of aliens ripped a human apart. That's another thing. It's actually a surprisingly gory movie. It's not too bad but it could be quite bloody at times and you should be aware of that.
The special effects were amazing on this film. It's hard to believe that they made the aliens look completely realistic on a 30 million budget. That was just incredible.
My major complaint with the movie was that the first half hour was strictly a documentary and then after that it suddenly becomes more about the characters. It's too sudden when the documentary ends and it changes the tone because I was really enjoying the documentary. Also in a way, I'm glad it ended because it became it became a very entertaining action movie at that point.
To conclude my review, I think you should see District 9. It's definitely the best summer blockbuster because it even has a few things to say about xenophobia and racism. I saw it twice, but I don't think it's necessary, once is enough to absorb all the information in the movie. Although, the final shot of the film completely flew over my head both times, but once I figured it out, the movie was so much better in my mind. I give District 9 a 9/10.