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Sitting here debating how to tell you all about this unbelievable movie without spoiling any of it is a hard task, to say the least. This movie has so many lovable things, so many awe-inspiring visuals and and even a heartfelt story underneath it all.

District 9 is sure to win the summer season without any questions asked. Transformers 2, Harry Potter and the other big named movies of the season all stand on their own, BUT they have been done before. While District 9 is not totally original, most of what we see has not been done on-screen before in this manner. A real-feel manner.  Neill Blomkamp, the FX kid genius turned commercial director has brought something visually stunning to us in District 9.

The film starts out in a documentary style which grows into a full-blown movie experience and then ends with documentary-type interviews. The blending of these styles brings a level of reality to the movie not seen in many films.

District 9 follows the story of an alien race whose ship breaks down above Johannesburg, South Africa. The aliens were quarantined to a “slum” section of the city and eventually grew in numbers too large for the country to control. The action story picks up at this point. We meet a few characters along the way, but one central person is followed throughout. The MNU agent Wikus Van De Merwe, played so well by Sharlto Copley, is our main contact with the aliens. The story revolves around his struggle within MNU to peacefully move the 1.5 million “prawns” into a new area outside the city walls.

The character building leaves a little to be desired. The story is true to its nature but holes appear sporadically throughout. Lots of questions could have been answered with just a few back-story elements inserted here and there. Overall, the story flows over the 112-minute theater experience and continues to weigh on my mind today the way many sci-fi movies can only claim to. The special effects, built on such a limited budget, were still out of this world (pardon the pun), and really just worked in its favor in every way possible. The uniqueness of the “prawn” and the way they fit into the slums was amazing. Not a second went by in the movie where I wasn’t asking how he did it. They fit right into the landscape and looked as if they belonged there.

The production, the directing, the storytelling – Blomkamp has built a machine that is a sight to behold, what is sure to be a classic sci-fi film for ages to come. District 9 is my showstopper of the year. Everyone is thinking the summer season is over and, BAM! along comes the Little Film That Could and boy, does it ever.

Make sure that if you haven’t seen this film to run out and grab tickets for it ASAP. Tell your mom, dad, neighbors and everyone else to see this unique film coming at you with some hard-hitting alien action.

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