District 9: Reviewed

Alright, so I know I pooh pooh'd District 9 in the past, but after all the critics championed this film I had to see it.  Despite what you may have heard, D9 is about illegal aliens from space that are leeching the tax payers for health care stuck here on Earth.

There is a pretty major plot point to that is unveiled in the first 20 minutes of the film.   I wouldn't call it a "twist" but it something that is best discovered while watching the film not by my, or any, review.  Yes the film has some political overtones (apartheid), but they aren't so bad that they detract for the film.

The movie starts with a mini non funny version of an office style documentary catching up the viewers on what is happening.  A large alien space ship coasted to a halt above Johannesburg (thankfully not LA or NY; we have enough aliens in the states) 20 years ago.  The aliens are stranded here and housed in a fenced off area.  The aliens live in slum like conditions and are seen savaging through garbage and eating cat food (no relation to Alf). 

The locals affectionately refer to the aliens as "prawns" because of their lobster like bodies.  No one really wants them in Africa, and they become kind of an eyesore that needs to be dealt with.  A man is sent in on behalf of the MNU (think UN, but with the addition of private military contractors) to move the prawns to a different part of town with a new FEMA-esce camp setup.

The aliens have some pretty bad ass energy weapons that cause people to explode.  The film has some fairly graphic moments with guts and innards flying through the air.  The action is quite good and to quote a friend of mine:

The explosions in D9 aren't necessary to the advancement of the storyline.

That being said the action is great, but unlike a Michael Bay film it really is necessary to make the film watchable.

My only complaint is regards to the amount of prawns.  In the beginning of the film you see tons of them running around.  The CG is great, and you can completely buy their "real-ness".  Near the end of the film when a BUNCH of crap is going down in the District (sorry, keeping this spoiler free), the prawns are gone.  You know they are around, but they aren't on screen at all.  My only thought is that because of budget constraints they weren't able to add as many prawns because they are expensive to animate.

I recommend that you go see D9 because it is refreshingly different.  The story and action are fantastic, and the film is quite entertaining.  I'm somewhat handicapped in giving the full scoop without giving away a massive spoiler, but I'm telling you this film is worth your time.  If you want a little taste before you go you can see the short film "Alive in Joburg" that the film is based on.