RobGrizzly | Aug 24, 2009 12:16:23AM PDT
I only agree with Laremy on one point- I would have liked even more exploration of the relations between species. This is the only critique I can find in a film I otherwise deem the best science fiction I've seen in years.

I'm taking into account two recent articles I read on this site, one about the audience/critic divide, the other, Laremy's own 'wanting a better movie.' I feel District 9 applies to both. Here is a fresh, ambitious film, (that isn't a GD sequel, prequel, or toy) pushing things to the next level. A film that might need positive critical support to help encourage other genre movies to try something different. A film that didn't disappoint me like everything else I saw this season, from Wolverine to Public Enemies.
Yet it only gets a B-

I am quite cross with this review.

There is a lot to commend in District 9. For the one thing this review says doesn't work, I feel there is so much more that does.

For starters, District 9 is not 'purely an action film,' at all. Even if it were, it's got some of the best action I've seen in all year. But this all only kicks in the final act- Distric 9 is mostly played quite dramatically, with racial tensions high, and the race to utilize the alien weaponry underscoring one of the nastiest aspects of our culture.

The realistic approach new director Niell Blomkamp uses to tell this story automatically separates this film from the usual suspend-your-disbelief fantasy we normally do when going into films like this.
It feels authentic and grounded with thanks to those documentary-style segments.

There are more ideas and subtext in this movie (metaphors for the way people treat those of another race, class or, in this case, another species) than in everything else released this summer combined. This review complains that they weren't fleshed out enough, but at least it was in there at all. The socio-political issues elevate the material without beating us over the head.
Other things to love about D9:
-lead actor Sharlto Copley does a fantastic job, having never acted before.
-The seamless visual effects are among the most realistic I've ever seen.
-That's a feat in and of itself considering the relatively small budget.
-The smart ability to make the aliens feel real and even relatable, with character traits, families, and even vices.

District 9 is the only movie besides Star Trek that I think totally delivered this year, and for me right now, going into the fall and even the winter, I feel it's the one to beat.

Grade: A