Review: District 9

I'm almost embarrassed that I only got around to seeing this last night, but it was fantastic. I think the documentary style at the start is necessary to get the whole of the backstory in there and the ill-feeling towards the prawns, otherwise it'd have to be 4hrs long.

Yeah, I could do without District 10. Think he could have killed the Halo movie though.

Not sure about the old Office/Schindler's List comparison though, even though I sort of see where you're coming from.

Unless Christopher the Prawn cures Wikus in the first five minutes of the film, that might be true, Nick.

I'm in agreement with Timmargh here, pretty good but not great. The opening half is a really strange and uncomfortable mix of The Office and Schindlers List. It's admirable but not exactly enjoyable. Once the retrieval of the canister begins the film picks up enormously.
A sequel seems inevitable given how it ends but I could see significant problems with what I'd assume would be a largely Wikus free District 10.
4/5

I may have to trade Butler in for a Copley... I swear he is my new crush.

Once I got past the initial two minutes, I forgot that it was CGI at all. I will have to get around to watching this again.

Copley made it for me, love his accent and outrage during the eviction.
"Want a sweetie eh? Here's a nice sweetie..."*THWACK* "...you fockin' little prawn"

Saw this again last night (on bluray with a nice big tv), had forgotten what a great film it is. I said before about some of the cg being ropey but I may have to eat my words because it was seamless. The fawkin prawns were so well realised you forget after a while that they weren't there at all.

Had a headache at the end, though.

They're definitely doing a sequel, Blomkamp has said already - but he's started another sci-fi film that is apparently very different, but still definitely sci-fi.

I've only just watched it tonight, and I thought it was glorious. I'm with everyone else on the Sharlto Copely love-in, and having learned he improvised much of the dialogue in the eviction scenes, I'm really looking forward to what he'll bring to Captain H. M. Murdoch next year. For the first half an hour I thought "what a toady little bastard"; by the end I still thought he was a bit of a git, but I was mentally screaming at him to stay alive.
District 9 was moving, harrowing and pulse-quickening.
Just fantastic all round, I too forgot that Christopher was CGI and cried rivers at the end.
Fresh from the credits, I'd love a D9b, but I think you're all right. I'd rather always want to know how they meted out retribution (they must? surely), than watch it and be disappointed.
Good work antipodeans.

I think it just proves you can take a compelling story and build a convincing film around it on a very small budget.

Some of the effects are a bit ropey, mind you. Would an extra few million have hurt? Maybe they'll clean them up for the DVD/Blu-ray release now it's made squillions, leaving the rest of the film intact, eh, Gorge Lucas?

I thought this movie was OK diffidently not great. While Copley did do a great job, I couldn't get past the way it was filmed. The document style to set up the whole story was taking an easy way out it seemed. There were a few scenes that were really well done and painful to watch i.e. testing scene, but overall it just seemed to be lacking.

I don't understand the hype it's getting here.

First impressions were "yeah, it was good, but not great", but, as usual, the more time I spend thinking about it the more I like it.

I really felt for the aliens *and* the guy and nearly whooped when <SPOILER>the baddie got torn apart at the end<SPOILER>. Plus, I nearly cried at the final scene.

When you're using a totally made up language, I don't think it matters. :D

Did anybody notice one of the clips they used in the adverts said "fuck off" once the subtitles were added?

Well, I'll guess I'll be that guy; the one that hates the film that everybody loves. Where to begin?
The shift between faux-doco and film narative pissed me off, the nauseating camera-work was terrible, the alien design was nothing new, there were some very odd cliche moments (like the alien subtitled "I'm not leaving you behind"), and the allegory was about as subtle as a swift punch to the nuts.
Overall, just a really ugly film to look at and listen to and I felt bad when coming out of the cinema. I've got hopes for the Halo movie, but if a D10 is in the works, I'll give it a miss.

Yup, but as much as I want a continuation of the story rather than just "D9:2"? Having slept on it, some things are better left with you wanting more. The Matrix would be one of the best films I've ever seen if the 2 sequels hadn't sullied the original, same with the Star Wars films. Leave 'em wanting more and District 9 will forever remain awesome.

It's not very often you leave a film as quality as that hoping for a direct sequel, what with the motivation behind follow-ups normally being a quick buck.

Loved it, Avatar looks like the indulging of Cameron's ego more & more after this effort. Heavy handed as an allegory but 100% as a sci-fi action film. My only complaint is that Wikus looks exactly like Principal Rooney from Ferris Bueller as he progresses...but that's just me. Exciting,moving & proves talent doesn't need $200 million. I want a sequel showing Payback. 5/5

What a rather good film. Very touching, very gory, very good.

I hope they make a sequel.

Oh, there were a good few a number of times I was laughing with glee at the screen, and the way Sharlto pronounces "fuck" deserves an oscar alone.

Loved it, my wife loved it (a full on nerd by marriage now), loved Sharlto Copley, the video game references, the fact I forgot the aliens were cgi, the setting, the not skimping on the action, the Fly comparisons.

Only criticism I can level at it that in a couple of shots the effects were lacking, but only in the way that you think "that's an effect"

Brilliant.

I just saw this one the other night, and I am in total agreement with the review. And the fact that Sharlto Copley has never acted before just totally blows me away-- the man was awesome. Seriously, his character starts out as kind of a smarmy, overly cheery government hack... and ends up as probably one of the most sympathetic characters I've come across in modern film. Awesome stuff. Cheers!

5 stars?? really?? the trailer looks good, saw it today before 500 days aaand a very small part of it was a bit too much like transformers, the trailer started pretty good but got a bit weak, but hey its just a trailer, i'll take your word for it and go check it out this week sometime....

I thought it would be good but it was AMAZING! Loved it!
Sharlto Copley was amazingly good, cant believe he's never acted before!
I also cant believe i cried at this film, im such a girl! You really feel for the aliens though!
Looking forward to seeing it again already!