Review of District 9 (2009) by Alex M — 10 Oct 2013

Films like District 9 are so rare these days, films with unpredictable stories and unknown actors and an underlying message that is subtle yet powerful. I've seen a lot of films that try to make the viewer sympathize with the aliens, but not like this one before; maybe because it feels so real.

The way the film begins and ends as a sort of documentary is done very well, and everything in between reveals some brilliant film making a la Neill Blomkamp. Sharlto Copley does a convincing job as the lead, but I think it's the aliens that really shine here - you can really sense their situation and how they must feel.

For almost half the film, I didn't realize that humans could understand their language because of how little they were listened to - I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it made me feel for them in a way I've never felt for aliens in a movie before.

As far as science fiction movies go, this is one that I believe will linger in the memory for a long time to come, although I can't say viewing this again will be a journey I will take in the near future.