District 9 (2009)

Director:

Neill Blomkamp

Writers:

Neill Blomkamp (screenplay) &
Terri Tatchell (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You are not welcome here.

Plot:

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Prawn | Refugee | Extraterrestrial | Johannesburg South Africa

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Sharlto Copley	...	Wikus Van De Merwe
Jason Cope	...	Grey Bradnam - UKNR Chief Correspondent
Nathalie Boltt	...	Sarah Livingstone - Sociologist
Sylvaine Strike	...	Dr Katrina McKenzie
Elizabeth Mkandawie	...	Interviewee
John Sumner	...	Les Feldman - MIL Engineer
William Allen Young	...	Dirk Michaels
Greg Melvill-Smith	...	Interviewer
Nick Blake	...	Francois Moraneu - CIV Engineer Team
Morena Busa Sesatsa	...	Interviewee
Themba Nkosi	...	Interviewee
Mzwandile Nqoba	...	Interviewee
Barry Strydom	...	Interviewee
Jed Brophy	...	James Hope - Police Officer
Louis Minnaar	...	Piet Smit

MPAA:

Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA | New Zealand

Language:

English | Nyanja | Afrikaans

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45478) | UK:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) (cut) | India:A | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | Mexico:B15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:14 | South Africa:16LV | Japan:PG12

Filming Locations:

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

When Wikus is using the alien walker robot, he is seen picking up a pig carcass and launch it with something resembling an anti-gravity gun, a weapon type made widely known through the computer game Half-Life 2 (2004) (VG). In Alive in Joburg (2005), Blomkamp's short film of which this is based, the aliens appeared to have a very similar type of Anti-gravity Gun (though of much more power - they were able to lift vehicles and launch them a considerable distance).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the officers and Wikus' family and friends were talking, their titles and names were placed on the screen. When one of the MNU officers were talking, they misspelled LIAISONS, spelling it LIASONS.

Quotes:

Wikus Van De Merwe: Could you go a bit slower with the clicks there, it sounded like you said *three years*...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: District 9/The Time Traveler's Wife/The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (#1.24)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Zingu 7

Wow

I caught an early screening of this movie last night. I went into it with high expectations considering the high ratings it has been getting already. My expectations were not high enough however because this film exceeded my them in every way possible.

I will not go far into detail because I would prefer to not spoil anything. This is unlike any sci-fi we have seen in years. Forget Terminator 3 and 4, forget the AVP movies, forget all those laughable sci-fi movies, this film is what we have been waiting for. An original idea, an original concept, brilliantly executed, great CGI, good acting, it just has it all. We have seen many aliens come to earth movies, but this is different, I will not say why though. That is for you to find out when you see it, which I HIGHLY recommend you do.

This movie, quality-wise, matches up with the popular Sci-Fi films we love. The original Alien, the original Predator, The Matrix, Star Wars, etc. While I enjoyed those ones more because they are classics, this one clearly meets the standards we expect today when it comes to quality. A big driving force behind this, in my opinion, is the fact that high esteemed Peter Jackson is behind this project as the producer. After seeing his masterful Lord of the Rings saga, anyone can see that he knows what he is doing.

As far as movies for this year, this is definitely top 5 so far on my list (Up, Star Trek, 500 Days of Summer, HP6, and District 9). Thank you Jackson and Hollywood for finally producing the best Sci-Fi in years. If this movie does not make its way to IMDb top 250 then I will be in awe.

See this movie!