I knew this would happen.  I’m not lying – I knew that critics and audiences alike would absolutely rave about this film.  The moment I found out about this film, I was positive that this film would by a mind-blowing experience.  The reason for my expectations was solely Peter Jackson.  Although most people appear to have some vague idea who he is - allow me to clarify for the masses. 

This is the man that brought us the remake of “King Kong” (4 Academy Award Nominations), “Heavenly Creatures” (Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Screenplay), and “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy (nominated for a whopping 30 Oscars, and winning 17 Academy Awards!)  To put things into perspective, “The Return of the King” alone won 11 Oscars, effectively tying with “Titanic” and “Ben-Hur” for the most Academy Awards EVER won for a film.

Clearly, I have a lot respect and admiration for Jackson, who is arguably one of the most talented film directors in cinematic history.  Needless to say, as I obsessively follow Peter Jackson’s film career, there isn’t much that misses my eye.  And once I found out about Jackson teaming up with first-time director, Neill Blomkamp, to create a film adaptation of “Halo” back in 2005 – I was quite intrigued.  Yep, that’s right, “Halo,” -- the immensely successful first-person-shooter video game was going to be made into a film.

Perhaps you’re wondering how you could’ve possibly missed that film… well, that’s because it never actually happened.  The “Halo” film project was mysteriously canceled back in 2007 to the dismay of several fans.  Also, although this stands as unverified fact, various sources claimed that 20^th Century Fox doubted the ability of first-time director Blomkamp to handle such a massive, high-budget, blockbuster.  Whatever the real reason may be, several months of filming went to utter waste. 

Not to be deterred, Jackson recalled seeing one of Blomkamp’s earlier short films, “Alive in Joburg,” – a film that about Aliens landing in Blomkamp’s hometown in South Africa.  Jackson was so enthralled by the very concept that he instantly persuaded Blomkamp to collaborate with him on expanding that short film, thus creating the now famous “District 9.”  “District 9,” which was put into motion the same day that “Halo” had been canceled, was made with a relatively low-budget and featured no recognizable stars. 

“District 9” tells the story of Wikus Van de Merwe (played by the unknown Sharlto Copely), a mid-level employee at Multi-National United (MNU).  28 years ago, an alien spaceship came to rest over the city of Johannesburg, South Africa.  The irony of the ship not landing over the traditional New York or LA is intentional – this film was meant to reflect the grim reality of the apartheid crisis in South Africa.  Also, instead of discovering a vast repertoire of advanced technological alien intelligence, the humans uncovered a million starving aliens.  The South African government designated a specific fenced-off portion of land for the aliens to populate, which inevitably evolved into a crime-ridden and violence-scarred slum, known as District 9.

Bottom line, due to the increasing rioting and public outcry, MNU was then tasked with relocating the aliens (cruelly re-named as ‘Prawns’) to a far-removed community known as District 10.  With questionable intentions, MNU placed Wikus in charge of this dangerous initiative of evicting the residents of D9.  After accidently spraying himself with a toxic device while raiding the shacks in D9, Wikus experiences several painful physical changes.  Ostracized by society for his disfiguring transformation, he eventually turns for help and shelter in the one location left, the slum of District 9.

Bearing in mind that this film is a somewhat low-budget affair, “District 9” boldly boasts impressive graphics and visual effects positively reminiscent of some of the best scenes in “Transformers” (and I don’t mean that as an insult.  “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” was a terrible movie, but the visual effects were undoubtedly superb…).  The film is a viscerally sharp allegory to the unforgotten apartheid crisis in South Africa, as Blomkamp delves to his painful hometown roots to infuse this thriller with a highly tangible air of sorrow and wrought pity.  Without sounding preachy, “District 9” compels viewers to mentally addresses the morality (or the purpose) of issues such as racism and segregation.

The script, written by Neill Blomkamp and Teri Tatchell, is smart and fast-paced – yet successfully dwells on emotionally relevant cores of the story, such as Wikus’ strained marriage.  The film is shot in a documentary style format, vaguely reminiscent of “Cloverfield.”  The shaky-cam effect can be a bit dizzying and tiresome, but it primarily works to compliment the film’s tense atmosphere.  The first two acts of the film are magnificently crafted and executed, mounting in suspense and escalating violence appropriately, whereas the final act falls a bit flat for me.  I do understand the script’s decision to leave Wikus behind on earth (setting the stage for a sequel, “District 10”), but his character wasn’t dealt enough emotional resolution to make that choice just yet.

Another negative issue I had with the film was bickering of the Prawns.  I’m not a big fan of subtitles popping up in non-foreign language films, and this was no exception.  Also, some of these scenes just felt utterly stupid.  When the Prawns started conversing with each other (and dropping the f-bomb repeatedly), the film started feeling as though it were forcing the humanization of the Prawns at the expense of crude humor.  I was uncomfortably reminded of the jive-talking urban robots from “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” and that is certainly not a compliment.  Also, it seemed strange that the humans were conveniently able to understand the strange burping, growling, and clicking language of the Prawns, and vice versa.  I suppose the film-makers could argue that after 28 years, both races eventually learned each other’s language, but a little specified clarification in the script couldn’t hurt…

On another note, I’m not a big fan of gore.  That being said, “District 9” is rated R for Bloody Violence, so I came into the theater a bit wary of the impending violent content.  Although the storyline does call for necessary gory scenes, there were several points throughout where the violence started seeming excessively gratuitous.  After hearing the brainless guffaws issuing from the dim-witted, enthusiastic horror fans after multiple bodies were exploded into showers of blood and appendages, I began to realize the logic for the extreme bloodshed.  Although “District 9” is an intellectually piercing thriller – it is being (and has been) marketed, through theatrical trailers and TV spots, as an alien slasher gore flick.  Therefore “D9” had to deliver the goods to all the bloodthirsty horror buffs that showed up, while providing an intelligent overlying story for the remaining 5 or 6 people in the audience who actually have a brain.  Bearing that in mind, I can forgive that particular flaw.

Ultimately, “District 9” is simply not just a great film, but a science fiction classic.  The acting is spot-on throughout the whole film, and never falters.  “District 9” proudly introduces two very talented newcomers to the world – Neill Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley.  Copley, given that this is his first major film and that Blomkamp simply chose him primarily because of their long friendship, proves that he’s a star in the making.  This man has great talent, and I would go as far as to say that he deserves an Oscar nomination for his role.  Already, there are talks for a sequel and although Jackson will personally not be involved, I’m positive that “District 10” will successfully compliment its predecessor, only if Neil Blomkamp is kept in charge.  It’s a rare event whenever I come into a film with already high expectations and have my aspirations surpassed.  “District 9” is one of those rare films.  I give it a 9.5/10.  Go see it for yourself.