SOUND OFF

Great mix of sci-fi and action.

I thought this movie was great, the CGI was damn near perfect. Half the time I just forgot that the aliens weren't really there, which allowed to me to focus on other aspects of the movie, like the story, which I thought was a great, fresh, new story with good undertones of human and animal equality. The characters are well developed, and I liked how there is a very smooth transition from the 'mockumentary' style of shooting to a more traditional filming technique, back to the mockumentary towards the end. Great film all around, I am dying to go see this for a second time, so I can get a more analytical viewpoint of the movie and plot, but I loved it the first time around. Oh, and watching people getting killed with the alien weapons never got old for me, I thought that shit was awesome. Nice balance of drama/action p.s. I really enjoyed the trailers for this movie, they gave you a strong understanding of what the movie is actually about, but do so by giving NONE of the actual plot to the movie away. It seems to me like most trailers now and days pretty much just give you a synopsis of the movie, and just leave out the details for the actual movie, but not this. great job.

Im going to see it in 2 hours on my lunch break

"To fuel the fire" Do you listen to the comments? A lot of people have noted how annoying it is that you say "to fuel the fire" about every goddamn movie you see. I would have to agree. You are in desperate need of a new catchphrase.

THANK GOD this wasn't the Halo movie. Couldn't imagine going to see that in a million years, but this absolutely blew me away. If this makes billions at the box office (and it should, rightly), does that mean that Hollywood is going to stop making shitty movies and remakes and reimaginings? Because that would be stellar. An original concept, and original voice and fraking brilliant cgi and special effects, this might easily be the best film I've seen all year. Only problem I can think of is that the accents, most of them, tended to shift from Northern/Central European to Oceanic and back again throughout the film. But I could look past that because it was so awesome. I have a feeling this film is going to inspire a whole new generation of filmmakers.

#9 Buster Cherry - Clearly you've never been to South Africa... We all talk like that here... We are called the rainbow nation for a reason. Most of the accents have a Dutch base(Now Afrikaans), and we have 11 official languages, which are mainly african. (E.G Zulu, Xhosa...etc)

The movie was great. The only problem I had was the generic action shootout at the end was a little disappointing after the edgy, character based emphasis earlier in the film. Otherwise, definitely a must-see.

This movie was amazing. You really must see it.

Bravo, Neill! Well done.

I would post my positive viewpoint, but it's already all been said in the previous comments.

I didn't see the movie yet but I'm looking forward to..

This movie was completely amazing. Story, cinematography, actors (including the CG aliens- wow), everything was awesome. I was blown away.

well i'ma go see this movie within a couple of hours...i sure hope this will be worth to watch.

Just saw the noon showing and all I can say is Infuckingcredible! Blomkamp and Jackson need to work together more often.

i watched the midnight showing of this movie and i have to say that it has set standards for the lame sci fi thats being but out nowadays. but i regret to say that i am hoping for a sequel...but unlike the hangover 2 this surprise sequel will make sense

i am surprised to see wit, some damning social commentary & good old-fashioned ultraviolence in what could become another bland el-cheapo scifi knock-off. a lot of the stuff here reminds me a lot of Peter Jackson's own BAD TASTE. it's not a perfect thing, but in one of the worst summers in memory, this one is pretty damn entertaining. one disappointment: the alien design seem like a bunch of recycled ideas from THE FLY, INDEPENDENCE DAY & WAR OF THE WORLDS. the fate of the main character at the end is both funny & tragic & open to sequel possibilities.

lol @ 33

Best sci-fi movie since Children of Men.

Agree with 36. Grendel, you just reminded about how remarkable Children of Men was.

Hands down the best of 09.

Fantastic movie. the undertones are real and present. #4 its not about human and animal equality you tree hugging hippie. its about being afraid of people we dont know and perceive as different than ourselves. American's especially do this to anyone of Middle Eastern decent....it's just the way of things today and this movie tackles that premise perfectly....Just because people are different does not mean they are dangerous. From a film standpoint, everything was spot on. The CGI, the story, the characters. Some of the acting was done improv, but it worked perfectly. I think we are going to hear a lot more from Neil in the future.

first half boring as hell second half amazing as fuck good movie i liked it

I thought this was the best film I'd seen in a while, but I was the only person in the theatre who clapped at the end. I was listening to everybody talk as I was leaving and they were all complaining about how much of a let down it was. A guy even asked for his money back! I think they were expecting a popcorn spectacle, and got bogged down by having to follow a plot. I loved it, though!

I think its the most original and by far best movie of the summer, but i walked out of the theater feeling uneasy. I think it was just a little to realistic for me. it was impressive that a movie could have that effect on me. Just goes to show how well done it truly was.

Thought the CGI was great, of course, the story was amazing, would have preferred to see more of the aliens acting in a more civilized light, like the father and son, despite their living conditions in stead of just making most of them act like the animals the humans all thought they were. I wanted to see the aliens fight back as a group. the individual view they took made the movie, and the two lead aliens, feel a lot more human.

I agree w/ 44. I HATED the beginning! I was ready to get up and walk out it was so boring. I didn't like the accents but then again it was set in Nigeria so what was I to except! I also didn't like the story. It was a roller coaster of emotions! I started out feeling bad for the aliens, then the guy, then the guy was an asshole so I was sad for the aliens again and then the guy again when something bad happened and then both were down pretty bad and then the baby alien had to go and be too cute. The story could have been a bit neater in that area in my opinion. The action and the CGI were both amazing.

Best movie of the Summer. Great story telling and great cg. Hopefully this movie sets a new standard to what a sci fi movie can achieve. Somebody take Michel Bay to watch this movie. Thank you Neill Blomkamp.

To fuel the fire.......... LOL!!! I was waiting for it!

The best sci/fi I have seen in a long tim.Have to say I wasn't expecting much from the buget on this film.But WOW,was I impressed.The CGI is flawless,and thought the action takes a while,it's all in the building up to it.I really got to feel for the charecters.The movie ends with the gun cocked up and ready to blow.Wonder what will happen in three years.Hope the aliens have pitty on us.

i thought the movie was incredible. so many worldly themes underneat the sci fi and the action.

District 9 was so good. I felt so bad for Wickers. Such a tragic case of being a victim of his own circumstances. I loved the aliens and their language. The child alien was the coolest. But the icing on the cake was the alien weaponry. So cool. I loved this movie! And the alien mech suit!!!

Can someone tell me what was so "open-ended" about the ending? Everyone kept telling me about it before I saw the movie, and then I saw it, and realized things were pretty much wrapped up. Sure we don't know if Christopher comes back and if so what he does, but that's about it. I hate people that need to be spoon-fed. This is the same reason people hated the ending of Cloverfield. Use your fucking imaginations!

was i supposed to wait until the end of the credits???? how come i didnt see the alien being interview that they show in the trailer??? i thought d9 was pretty awesome....

i came. enough said.

I loved the movie, great acting, story, violence, action The CGI was not impressive, I don't get how anyone would have to ask Neill Blomkamp if there were any practical close ups or etc. At no point in the movie did the Prawns register as anything other than just good CGI, it wasn't great, and nowhere near impressive, one of the few things about the movie that I didn't really like. I get it had a $30 million budget, but still, people were comparing this to CGI greats like Gollum, King Kong, Davey Jones, and its nowhere near those films...nowhere near incredible or meeting the accolades that have been used by some to describe the prawns.

A Great sci-fi film. totally into it. glad it was not a halo movie like originally intended otherwise i would have skipped it. It show that every god damned video game doesn't need to be made into a movie. It's just to bad such an original movie had to come from New Zealand. Definitly worth the admission price.

Damn, I still have to wait to the 28th day until this comes out here in Finland. But gotta say, after reading all these comments, I'm really looking forward to this now!

#52 Jessica Kennedy. I am South African. We are so looked down by the rest of the world as 3rd world an uneducated. Well for fuck sakes you dumb idiot. Go back to school or just Go look at a map of Nigeria an tell me, no better still - I bet you a million fucking bucks u wont find that Johannesburg is located in Nigeria. ITS IN FUCKING SOUTH AFRICA. An i think we got pretty cool accents here. So if u an your American wise ass friends think u r so bright, Think again. Am so aggravated by people who see themselves so superior above others.

I think, before this film, JJ Abrams and Michael Bay were lazily hamfisting big, CGI-driven, uninteresting "thrillers" at one another in a vague competition to become the next Spielberg. But Steven Spielberg can do something neither Abrams or Bay can: in addition to pumping out blockbusters, he can make a film like Schindler's List or Empire of the Sun. I've seen enough of Bay and Abrams' overproduced, bewildering remakes, all full of confounding continuity gaps, empty characters, and the emotional capacity of your average tween. I don't need to sit through another Mission Impossible sequel just because JJ Abrams thought of another cool spy weapon. These movies can be fun, but don't come at me with some notion of "content". What we've been offered by Neill Blomkamp with District 9 is something rare: an action movie with great acting, stimulating (as opposed to overly slick and boring) visuals, and emotional gusto. The beginning of the film seems to run a bit slow, but maybe this is because we aren't used to seeing a fictional universe fleshed out as completely as it is here. We're forced, for once, to spend some time getting to know the world in which the story lives. The action, then, is all the more impressive because the characters involved have real value for the viewer, and because the audience is pulled so deeply into this fully realized sci-fi Johannesburg. I'm so, so glad to see that there are still directors coming into the spotlight and putting something worthwhile on the table. I like coming out of a big-budget action film and not having to feel guilty about how many brain cells I just killed. It's something I'd like to be able to do more often. Also, I think I can safely say this is the first movie in cinema history to feature aliens covered in their own shit.

The secret is out. D9 is real.

@70, did we watch the same movie? I have heard a couple of other people say that the CGI wasn't that good either and it really confuses me. I think there is a lot more CGI in District 9 than you and others may realize. WETA is pretty much at a point where their computer animation is so smooth you sometimes forget that you are looking at CGI. The only time that King Kong doesn't look real is when it is holding the one chick in his hand. It is only in cases like that where a real person is in direct contact with CGI that you can notice it. Also, Gollum is amazing but half the reason he worked so well is that he didn't look real in a certain sense. He had dirty brownish green skin, a few strands of hair, dirty clothes, crooked teeth, and bug eyes. Don't get me wrong, Gollum is brilliant CGI but he is made more believable because he isn't human and has his own unique features. This is also why i think the CGI works so fantastically in D9 as well with the aliens. They aren't human so we can't judge them by standard based in reality. But even still, the level of detail of the aliens is amazing and never once did they look out of place on the screen.

This just shows how A list actors aren't as important to a successful movie anymore as a unique concept is. Every popular film from this year featured relatively unknown performances, but incredibly unqiue stories and film making techniques. The older generation becoming mentors to the younger generation is the only way that the reboot trend will be killed in Hollywood. The problem being that studios won't give a massive budget to an unknown film maker regardless of how great the story sounds because it's too big a risk. If Del Toro, Jackson, and Burton keep this up then there might be a chance for some unique films in the future after all. This movie was amazing and by not paying for an A list star they were able to spend the money to refine the story, tweak the effects, build amazing set pieces, and market the film in a revolutionary way....bravo Blomkamp!

I have some mixed feeling on this one, it was a pretty good movie, in the end, but the first part was a bit of a struggle and there were so many things that didn't make sense, sure I could rationalize things to myself but whose doing that for the rest of the audience or does no one care about the plot holes and all the things that didn't make any sense? I'll list a few unexplained things in my mind: 1) Why were some of these things super-smart, even the baby one and others were crazy and anamalistic 2) Why did we understand them and them us? That seems like a huge plot hole, if they are that intelligent then what the shit.. 3) Why, if there was fluid anywhere on the ship to begin with didn't it leave earlier, why was the fluid on the ground... strange/dumb 4) Why did the main character go from hating aliens to blowing up every human he saw. these are just a few things I found irritating about the movie, its like ok guy lets make a lot of cool effects with a kinda weak story and no one will care! I also thought that the acting was pretty weak in quite a few places, and the main character was pretty much always a jerk up until the very end, it was almost karma that made him into an alien I think, because he didn't seem to give a shit about them unless they could help him out. I think the CGI was fantastic, I didn't care THAT much for the documentary style camera, in fact my wife and her friend had to leave me and my friend to finish watching it, do yourself a favor if you haven't seen it and sit up high. I guess in the end I enjoyed it but it wasn't as good as I was hoping, yes the CGI was amazing.. but I wanted more.

"I'll list a few unexplained things in my mind: 1) Why were some of these things super-smart, even the baby one and others were crazy and anamalistic 2) Why did we understand them and them us? That seems like a huge plot hole, if they are that intelligent then what the shit.. 3) Why, if there was fluid anywhere on the ship to begin with didn't it leave earlier, why was the fluid on the ground… strange/dumb 4) Why did the main character go from hating aliens to blowing up every human he saw." #86 these are not good plot holes to bring up other then story other than the unexplained black fluid. I would guess that blomkamp wanted to make a comparison to humans by creating a variety of aliens instead of just assuming they are just smart. Keep in mind it had been 20 years since the ship had landed and an entire generation had grown up in a humanized segregated environment. That was clearly the point to your first two questions. About the 4th remark, he wanted to change back to human to which Christopher had promised. Not only that, but his character went through a change because of the situation, he even says it himself when he tells Christopher to not make him go through all this shit for nothing.

Ya, the only hole i felt was why they didn't sedate wilkus before trying to take his body apart. I tried to answer that in my head like the prawns couldn't be sedated but idk, just a little hole.

@ 90 My explaination for that is that they did try to sedate him but it had no effect on his mixed DNA. @ 89 I think the reason some were smart and some were savage was because a few (Christopher and friend) were possibly alien officers while the rest were just ordinary workers. The officers acted much more civil while the workers fended for themselves and thus acted more "ferrel."

Soooo fing good

To #93 and everyone else: what did District 9 teach you? What point, if there is one, was it trying to make?

this movie completely blew me away! by far the best I've seen this year. the visuals and animation is outstanding. #97 it's a movie, enjoy it or never watch it again. or maybe you should write a perfect movie and make it for us?

#97: I have long had the feeling that most of the comments posted at FirstShowing are made by the bottom rungers in film marketing departments. Nothing else would explain most of the moronic praise (and comments like "The movie succeeded my expectations by 100%". No one is that dumb).

the collective supercilious ignorance and overall ineptitude that people possess flat out astonishes me. the endless nit-picking put on display here is flat out ridiculous, i do not understand how can you be so dismissive about a movie over such minute elements. for all of you who were "unimpressed" by the CGI work in this movie and those who cant talk about anything else then negligible plot "holes" you all need to shut the fvck up with your ceaseless nit-picking persiflage. its a goddamn movie for christs sake. its not some doctorate thesis paper, so dont expect for EVERY minute detail to be explained to/for you. this is a MOVIE, a fantasy tale, an imaginary story presented to YOU, the viewer, with the intent of transporting you and your perception of "the real world" into another world, an alternative reality, a re-imagining of the world as we currently know and understand it. movies, especially the sci-fi genre, are all about "what if..." and it amazes me that such a large number of people get caught up in such trivial details such as "why didnt the aliens fight back?" "why didnt the humans investigate the ship?" "why were some aliens super smart and others 'stupid'?" "it's endless how many dumb plot holes this movie has." "why did they like cat food so much?" WHO THE FVCK CARES. this movie wasnt made for a scientific journal with all its sources cited in some bibliography nor is it a movie based in fact, hence the genre science fiction for god's sake. this movie and every other movie ever made are for ENTERTAINMENT. and if you get caught up in such mind numbingly inconsequential details, well, i pity you. if you cannot suspend your own disbelief and let certain things slide, i do not know how you can ever enjoy a movie for what it is on its most basic level. with that said, for all of you who CAN suspend your disbelief for 2 hours, go see this movie. it will not disappoint.

# 102: Wow, with standards like that, who goes there? Obviously not John W. Campbell, Jr. No wonder we get so many bland, forgettable films.

Saw it this afternoon. Absolutely the best movie of the summer. I don't understand the people who stated the beginning was boring as I did not find one minute of this movie boring. And to #87 who states "Weta didn't even do the CGI," I always read all the end credits and it clearly showed Weta Digital with about a thousand names listed.

Saw it this morning and i liked it very much. Didn't like it as much as Moon, but it was a damn good movie. Special effects were very good, way better than G.I., which quadruple the budget.

Thought it was fantastic. By far the best movie I have seen this year. Finally and original story, topped with plenty of action and gorgeous CGI. Will be seeing again in the theaters for sure.

I love how this film only hints at some details. Many here have interpreted them as plot holes, but I think it creates a larger world that simply cannot fit within two hours. To be more fair and accurate, I think we should classify these instances as suspension of disbelief. The first two paragraphs of the Wikipedia article should provide enough information for my purposes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief With this in mind I don't think anyone here should be asking why something could or could not be done. Contrarily I think it would be more fulfilling for all of us to just make up reasons why. Try to make your reasons fit within this imagined world. What I will expand in this discussion is a quick statement one interviewee made after Wikus' arm was revealed: That Wikus was the first successful hybrid. The distinction of "first successful" made me cringe. I imagined all the failed attempts MNU could have made. Just imagine all the terrible things they could have been doing to humans and prawns in the 28 years leading up to Wikus.

It was an incredible movie. But I was watching " The Fly" starring Jeff Goldblum at 2 o'clock in the morning the night before and I kept noticing the similarities between Wikuss transformation and Goldblums transformation. Thought that was kinda odd.

My favorite thing about the movie is the role-reversal In the beginning the aliens were seen as scum while Wikus was seen as oblivious and weak [Spoiler] In the end the aliens were relatable while Wikus became a short-lived badass (albeit for mostly selfish reasons). [End spoiler] I've heard people say this was Jackson's replacement for a Halo movie. Well I was reminded of Gears of War. Odd, that

Finally saw it and wow. What a cool sci fi movie finally. The thing I really liked was that the CGI wasnt over the top. There was a realism to it and yet it had some of the coolest effects Ive seen in a Sci Fi movie. Even more amazing this movie cost 30 Million to make holy crap. Does that not tell you how much wasted overhead costs goes into movies like Transformers. Well Done Neill Blomkamp. Sharlto Copley is frickin awesome in this movie. This proves why I love movies that have new faces (actors, actresses). It makes the movie even more fresh and genuine.

I left the theater excited, in love with the movie, but on the drive home, I asked myself, why? Was I following the hype? Was it eye candy for me? I can honestly say that I fell in love with EVERY aspect of this film. The Trailer The Viral Campaign The way it was shot the way it wasn't shot. I dont want to ramble, the point is, not everyone is going to like the same movies you like, but also not everyone came in to the theater with the same mind set. I had some chicks behind us that had NO idea what this movie was going to be about, and thought it was another Independence day. If you saw the movie, expecting an action, explosion, gun driven Monster, you left disappointed.

@97 "3.) the aliens are completely passive, yet they have AMAZINGLY destructive weaponry??? if they don't even use them for their own protection then WTF are they for??? i suppose that's why the humans let them take them…." In one of the early documentary style shots an entemologist (scientist who studies insects for those who don't know) theorized that the majority of the aliens are worker drones who's leader is gone thust they're passive because they're used to taking orders. Also explains why they had no concept of eviction or theft. They're a hive group where everything belonged to everyone. "4.) reverse engineering folks. look it up. 28 years and humans can't figure out how ANY of the alien technology works means you've been hiring the dumbest engineers on the planet." Clearly you missed the part where the scientists said: "There is a biological component to their technology which makes it only work with alien DNA." That's why they were after the main character. Seriously if your gonna criticize a film, then actually pay attention when you watch it!

Saw this gem yesterday. All I can say is, it was the best SciFi movie I've seen in at least 15 years, maybe more. Incredible. It amazed me what they did with only a 30 million dollar budget. Hollywood can't manage this kind of content and story telling with a 200 million dollar budget. Now we have to wait for District 10. I can't stop thinking about the movie and that rarely happens to me. I have to go see it again.

Also sure I can suspend disbelief and let myself go to another world/time etc, I love sci-fi but its gotta work with me a little.

it's pointless arguing movies after the transformers 2 post. i will say this movie was great. i expected alot, and did receive alot in-return. i didn't concentrate on the social message(s) the film was delivering, however. (i know the comparison, but the CGI and action was spectacular, and enough for me to focus on solely). i loved the building raid. could have been longer though. all-in-all, a great film. obviously we will be getting another film, and i expect a studio to fork over more money and force their writers upon the sequel's production. taint the 1st movie's legacy like '28 weeks later.'

jasonmd2020: Maybe you'd better watch D9 again: the prawns were marking their buildings with human kill Xs like fighter pilots mark their kills. There was absolutely ZERO support for your justification why the otherwise aggressive, murderous prawns didn't use their weapons against their oppressors. NONE. Regarding bioengineering, are you an idiot? The aliens were being dissected in human labs. Mankind has mapped the human genome. Do you really think there is even the remotest possibility we couldn't figure out how to use the alien DNA (which we had in unlimited supply) to activate their weapons/technology? Fucking feeble thinker.

@ RandyG Right I'm a fucking feeble thinker for going along with a fictional theory in order to enjoy a movie. "Maybe you'd better watch D9 again: the prawns were marking their buildings with human kill Xs like fighter pilots mark their kills. There was absolutely ZERO support for your justification why the otherwise aggressive, murderous prawns didn't use their weapons against their oppressors. NONE." Wasn't my justification, I was paraphrasing from the film interviews. The Prawns marked their buildings with human kills. Did ALL of them do this? Most of them were dumb workers. Christopher Johnson however wasn't, maybe he was higher up in their hierarchy. Along with a few of them with enough sense to keep some weapons, kill some of their oppressors & post a warning sign. And one more thing, we're debating a movie. A piece of fiction. So the insults really aren't needed. Maybe I do need to see it again. And maybe you need to leave your troll cave and learn how to act like a civilized. person, and not a brain dead prawn.

I was very disappointed

Remember guys, Christopher made that bomb on-the-fly out of scraps. This is also how they made their weapons. Why did they need to make the weapons? Well, the illegal arms dealers wanted them in exchange for their meat and catfood. Why did the arms dealers want weapons they couldn't even use? They believed by eating the Prawns they would one day be able to use their weapons and gain ultimate power.

Did anybody else think this is exactly "ALIEN NATION" remade?

splendid movie, when I watch this I wonder how they haven't turned the most popular animes into live actions yet. They technology is there and this movie isn't a bad watch at all. For me it was a tear jerker, I felt so bad for the aliens. But i really liked this movie because the events weren't forced to fit, they seemed as if they would have happened naturally. I can't explain it well. My only thing was in that large mother ship you are telling me that only an alien and a half could have fit? Maybe I just have to watch it again.

i think the alien in the interogation scene is WIKUS!!!!!!!!! thats why we dont see it in the movie. all the dialogue of the tralier fits his and the alien intentions. they just want to go home.

Eureka!!!! #142 you nailed it! That was what the prawns wanted all along. I posted that a ways up and yet some peeps just have to nit pick at this intelligent piece of fiction. If the prawns wanted to get aggressive they'd have just blown up the planet 20 years ago and voila---no movie!!!!

Movie. Awesome.

SO FUCKING SWEET....I cant for the life of me find a flaw in it. Thought I found a couple of holes when I saw it again just seals them up. Blomkamp has truly proved and outdone himself, Bravo to you sir. May your career be long and full of more body exploding weapons.

Rick, the next time you try to insult someone's intelligence, remember to get the usage of "your" that you want correct. moron.

to all those who think Wikus is the alien in the interrogation scene, that doesn't make sense to me, they wouldn't be questioning him 28 years later as to why the aliens have arrived.

....but I guess I was actually having a reaction was because, unlike so many movies I've seen this year, I actually was sucked into it. Loved it.

Finally saw it and although it is not bad it wasn't as great as hoped. I still think Blomkamp is talented but needs a bit more experience and funds. I think the film would benefit from a proper sequel & trilogy treatment as Blomkamp has shown he has a good imagination.

This was by far the worst movie I've ever seen. I walked out after 15 minutes and demanded a refund. Worse than Blair witch project. Hard to believe that Peter Jackson could produce such crap Disappointed!

Loved every minute of this movie. They did the film style right with the reporting. Great story, a pretty original one at that considering how not original most everything is now a days. CGI was AMAZING. Made even more amazing by the fact that their budget was $30,000,000. For crying out loud. Time Traveler's Wife had a budget of $39,000,000. Harry Potter was $250,000,000. Thank god for no-name actors and african settings is all i gotta say. BEST MOVIE OF '09

I really enjoyed this movie. It was incredibly uncomfortable to watch at times, and the "hero" was hardly someone I felt like rooting for for the majority of the story, but I have to agree that this is one of the best sci-fi movies I've ever seen, and the weird part is that the reason it hits that pinnacle is because of how HUMAN the story is. I loved that so much of the movie is intuitive--I always appreciate a story teller that relies on my own intelligence to tell the story--and also how much of it is really just unexplained. Instead of worrying about "filling us in", the story gets straight to the point. The hows and whys of the aliens is not even explored, and instead their story is told through the eyes of the humans around them, leaving the audience to fill in the blanks. Some of my takes on the situation: The aliens obviously had a different social structure than any on Earth, making them seem very fractured and almost child-like in their interactions with humans, but in the same circumstances, you wouldn't see our front-line space people being the innovators and designers and creators of our culture. Those are not the people you send away from home to explore. Instead, you send the adventurers, the wanderers, and the soldiers. Thinking about it, even if they wanted to, there's no guaranty the aliens would be ABLE to explain their technology to us. They can fix it, they can use it--but they didn't develop or create it. People are f*cked up to each other. This was so realistically and so viscerally portrayed there were a couple of people (obviously expecting a "date movie") that left our theater. This was awesome. And I'd like to note at this point, too, that I think the setting of Johannesburg was brilliant. Americans would end up leaving the theater thinking "We wouldn't be like that" if it was set in Manhattan or something, and I know for me in particular, immediately when I think of Africa I think of all the societal and cultural problems there, which highlighted immediately the problems humans have dealing with each other, compounded by dealing with an alien race. I could go on. Wonderful movie, and I am SO impressed with how the whole movie came together. I'm recommending it to everyone I know.

i'm sorry, generally i like sci-fi but this wasn't much more than spectacle. the effects were spectacular and the visuals were seamlessly tied to the live action throughout, but so was transformers 2. and with all the buzz D9's storyline was getting on sites like these, i guess i was expecting more from the plot. unfortunately, this movie's message was about as subtle as a cockroach crawling across a white rug. the story was heavy handed and predictable – south africa being the setting; the "aliens" and apartheid; (one) man's redemption – it was trying too hard and in too many ways to tell the same message: people can possess the ability to be both good and evil – just like our "alien" neighbors. i guess we (earthlings) are not so different after all! *wink* sure this is certainly a distinct way of telling something that's been said before, but really who gives a shit? pixar does the same thing with their films and it's done in a much more clever and entertaining fashion. it wasn't the worst movie i've seen this summer (i'm looking in your dircetion "year one") but for something that was hailed as being a unique voice, i found it to be grounded in very familiar territory.

Someone who saw it last week called it "Political Science Fiction". I think that holds - b/c when you add altogether what was portrayed on screen, you're left with a simple thought (which you either accept or you don't - I'm pointing in your direction, SciFiFan): Watch One Broadcast of BBC and tell me - Is Humanity Really Ready to Handle the Arrival of an Alien Ship on Earth? Or are we too brutal. (Check) Are we too savage. (Check) Are we too xenophobic (Check) I thought it was brilliant, brilliantly executed, and welcome a fresh new voice to the directorial chair. It's a movie that gets you thinking. If that hurts for some people, well - GI Joe is still in theatres for like a week or so (thanks to District 9's TKO at the Box Office - Score!).

One of the best Sci-Fi movies to come out in a decade, primarily because you forget it's a Sci-Fi movie so often when watching it, that it's easy to lose yourself in the story. As far as those who isolate discrepancies, such as the aliens not being intelligent, but having amazing technology - this was addressed numerous times in the movie. They are often referred to as the 'workers' of the species, and not explorers or scientists. It'd be as if you were stranded on an alien planet and expected to work am American tank that was dropped there with you. It doesn't mean you aren't intelligent, it's simply a skill you have never needed or been trained on. Also, the complaint about the same fluid powering a ship and changing a person's DNA is also addressed... but I won't go into that. Point being, I really think some movie goers are severely challenged in the 'paying attention' department. Hell, I even heard people walking out of the theater asking what happened to the main character ............

Bloody Brilliant....and the ending could have not been any better.

All I got to say is great movie, a very interesting on the alien invaders concept. However, I would still say FUCK NEIL BLUMKAMP for his racist portrayal of Nigerians. The asshole even had the audacity to say it reflects reality in JoBurg today. How the hell would he know as "White Flight" emigre to Canada (PRICK). Looking forward to the sequel as long as he doesnt attempt to portray Blacks as either dumb subordinates to Causcasians or as blood thirsty, irrational, superstitious cannibals.....

Screw Transformers, screw GI Joe, screw Terminator Salvation. District 9, 500 days of Summer, Moon are some of the best movies ive seen this summer.

great cgi and OK story, goofy acting and average script. it's really a mix of a few different films and ideas and executed well due to cgi alone. although I understand why the aliens are so dump i just couldn't suspend my understanding of human nature enough to really believe how humans acted in many scenes. it's just not how it would go down if they arrived, but yes we'd sell our grandma for the weapons.

#165 "The discrepancy between the apparent intelligence of the aliens and their technology is just too broad to gloss over." You should have paid more attention to the movie, because there was commentary stating that the majority of the prawns were worker drones - not the most intelligent of the prawns!

They werent ground to air missiles dude the mercenary picked up an RPG...and gun runners you honestly dont think they would have a stinger or two? come on use your head. Hes right you need to pay more attention to the movie....and is apartheid your favorite word?

I thought that D9 was incredible, it definitely gets my vote for movie of the year, when I was expecting the new Harry Potter to be my favorite (and it totally let me down as a new fan of the series). Part of what did it for me I think was how brilliant the way the movie was written; it really made you hate yourself. But above all, it was the prop details throughout the entirety of the movie. Everything from the trucks to the body armour the mercs were wearing and the alien weapons to the exoskeleton used at the end. Real or CGI didn't matter because it was done so well I didn't even think about that once during the movie. I also liked the enlisting of unheard of actors, it made it much easier to get into knowing nothing about the types of roles they would typically play.

You know what's ironic for me - Nigerians depicted as worse than the Aliens themselves! Stereotypical, but you know what, true too

WOW! Beautiful, I loved it Fresh ideas into sci fiction flick. Simply beautiful This film is about many things at the same time and is one those films that proves you dont need sky high budgets to make an incredible sci fiction movie In this film, Sci fiction is just a tool to tell the incredible journey of a simple flawed man. Great Film. Hope many hoolywood producers take notice of how things have been done in this movie.

i thought the movie was great. I even work with a guy that looks exactly like "Mr. Sweety"! Hahaha! "Why dont you teach that kid some manners. He almost took my eye out with a fucken lollipop, man"! Now that was classic!

#52 - "I HATED the beginning! I was ready to get up and walk out it was so boring. I didn't like the accents but then again it was set in Nigeria so what was I to except!" - Proof, if ever there was, at the value of paying attention to the 'boring' bits. How you could watch the whole film and come away thinking it was set in Nigeria is beyond me! Anyway to the film I saw District 9 last night and was blown away. I had high hopes for the film after seeing the directors work in the Halo short film and had deliberately avoided all but the first teaser trailer to avoid ruining any surprises. I left the cinema pumped as I was after the likes of Rambo, Ong Bak, The Last Samurai, T2. Hands down the film is just plain fantastic. Eschewing the normal stars and glamorised locations keeps the audience on your toes as does the showing the aliens from the very beginning, instead of shrouding them in darkness which would be the normal route. It’s documentary style makes the events so grounded in reality that you easily engage with the story. It’s matter of fact presentation allows you to take it on board on a more visceral level as opposed to the usual A, B, C of movie exposition. The main character is an engaging, average chap who clearly is from the mindset that working hard and fulfilling the quota of appraisal forms and quarterly reports etc is the way to proceed in life. Hence why he has a sense of duty and doing the right thing by his employers and people until the evidence of their betrayal of him becomes too much. The films structure to me just seems to be so fresh and creative. Polished to a very high standard but so different to the normal big bang, no substance fare that we normally receive (Transformers 2, GI Joe, Star Trek etc) The reality feel to the film is so strong that when they came to cut him open and harvest his organs I genuinely thought he was a going to die as that would happen in real life.. Then when the film moved into the ‘action’ element it had me even more hooked. There was just so much mind bendingly clever stuff in it that had me rooting for the characters, whooping with delight and continued amazement / wonderment at what I was watching on the screen. The final hour or so of the film when it has Vickers breaking into the MNU facility, heading back to the ship and the battles between the mercs and Nigerians was amazing. Only surpassed with my joy when he clambered into the mech suit and laying down some hurt. The scenes when he was protecting Christopher whilst they shot at him and he desperately tried to respond reminded me of Robocop, Rocky and other scenes that I’ve always loved. That fighting valiantly onwards against impossible odds and not giving up. The music used worked brilliantly. Never intrusive but always perfectly complimentary. The sound effects gave everything a real world tangibility that was breath taking. The FX were outstanding. The acting from the relevant players was wonderfully executed and proof if needed that with a good story and direction, you don’t need million dollar actors. Such a gob smackingly good film. Truly wonderful. It’s a crime that there must have been only 30 or 40 people in the cinema last night. This is a fantastic film that needs to be seen at the cinema and which needs to be a success to show that bravery, creativity and a different vision of film making can succeed. Certainly the best film that I’ve seen this year if not longer.

wake up hollywood look at this film $30million on budget but earn $120million, all of u capitalistic BOD don't see this as an oppurtunity for profit? with your kind of promotions this film could earn a lot more. this film was FANTASTIC compared to g.i joe, fast and furious, star wars(I,II,II) these movies were crap well known directors such as rob cohen, michael bay,stephen sommers,bret ratner should ask themselves how the hell a newbie direvtor like neil blomkamp can make such an amazing movies? Hollywood should realise not all crap movies earn billion of dollars, look at dark knight, iron man, and titanic c'mon man make a good movie, dont think a movie with lots explosions and cg guarantee you lots of money.wake up hollywood and have some dignity please,movie fans deserve better than this

Enjoyed it, except for the fact that the bald mercenary dude didn't die just kept hopping, weaving and giving himself cover fire to evade EVERYTHING... plus the cheese delay when they are facing off before the truck hits the mechwarrior

pretty good movie the action was cool, but the only word I could think of to describe some of it was "jeez!" . . . and that's the first thing I said when that alien weapon made people friggin explode into a gory mist...poor soldiers, but I wouldn't have continued to fight that thing if I saw what it did to people anyway, good movie a sequel would be awesome oh yeah, one thing though: we really need to get more creative with these aliens I think; the aliens in movies always look too human-like (2 arms, 2 legs, 2 eyes, a mouth, overall humanoid shape)

District 9 movie was okay. The only time it is original is in it's first act, even then, the premise has already been used before in Alien Nation. The second act was just a rip-off of The Fly and the third act was just out of hand video game nonsense. The themes the film bases itself on (aliens as Apartheid blacks) is almost entirely ditched after the first act and even in the first act it is not addressed with any incisiveness or poignancy. The lack of consistent camera work is annoying as it switched from documentary to narrative haphazardly and drains the energy in every oversaturated shot. Unfortunately, this film starts off with a good idea, but descends into ridiculousness (gasoline that transforms you into an alien?) and is more concerned with showcasing explosions and gore than any challenging social commentary.