District 9 Review

District 9 will inevitably draw lots of comparisons to Cloverfield, as it should probably. The viral marketing was similar (mysterious trailer, interesting online viral sites), the "shaky" camera style was the same, and the human vs. Alien style was...well, basically the same. But D-9 is better than Cloverfield if only because it tries to instill some moral questions and gets people asking more than just the question of "what will District 10 be about?". (Note: This review will be spoiler free, just know that my mentioning there being a sequel isn't ruining anything)

District 9's strongest moments are the documentary back story that come at the beginning and (kinda) end of the film. They ask a lot of really interesting questions. There are obvious parallels to any concentration camp scenario here but also some race relation questions, as well as just humanitarian questions. Also reflected on is what are the motives for keeping these "Prawns" here?

After all these intriguing ideas are tossed around though we're just left with a grade A action film. The CGI is fantastic and director Neill Blomkamp's style is always here. The shaky movement of the camera always leaves us with a view of the mothership in sight and reminds us that we're in a different universe now. The aliens themselves look unique and unlike anything ever created on film before.

But the one downfall of the movie may not be a downfall at all. The lead character Wikus Van De Merwe's moral decisions (I won't get into, no spoilers) through out the film make the movies ending bittersweet. You end up sympathizing more with the Prawn then you do with either him or the humans, another question is raise.

But District 10 will inevitably happen. And when it does I hope they change the formula. If they keep the same part documentary part action film style it will no longer be unique and just a rehashed idea. My personal suggestion is to pull an Alien/Aliens type of move. Change the formula from ying to yang. Ridley Scott's movie Alien was a slow moving thriller, James Cameron's Aliens was a fast paced action film. Do the same thing here. But first, let Peter Jackson and Blomkamp make the Halo movie. Please? Grade - A-