It's been a quiet streak from me of late, so I decided to come back with something relevant to the recently (terrible) aired Academy Awards. Everyone already knew my thoughts on Avatar, and reviewing The Hurt Locker will probably just make my blood boil, so why not review the most deserving Best Pic. nominee, eh?
Wait, most deserving? Did I just say that? That's right, bitches. D9 > all other 9 nominees (and Hurt Locker and Avatar combined for that matter)* How is that? It was probably the least likely movie to actually get the award, right?... Right?
Well, let's start off with of the awesomeness that is District 9, eh? We have all of the essentials of good film-making here: a good story, strong main character, good (though not really great) performances, and a message that doesn't come off as heavy-handed or pretentious. Not in the slightest. Corporations aren't all corporationy in this movie. All of this leads up to a climax that isn't the (now stereotypical/lazy) EVERYONE GRAB A SWORD fest that you might think it would turn out to be.
Aside from the all of that, let me talk about that camera work for a second there. It's sharp, crisp... just real clean. It gives off that kind of gimmicky "hand held" bullshit that people are feeding us, but it does the most important thing: practices restraint. Yes, there are moments of shakiness, and it can be a bit frustrating, but it's only done at appropriate moments, and manages to still remain somewhat steady so as not to induce unintentional vomit. Well-played, Neil Blomkamp... well-played indeed.
I think what makes this so great is that from both a technical aspect and emotional aspect, this movie is sharp. Sharlto Copley turns in probably the best performance of the movie. He manages to act out the character arc remarkably well. It starts off as a giddy, idiot promoted above his means, and for the longest time, even as the shit is going down, you can't quite sympathize with the guy because of his dickish view of the aliens.
Fucking Prawns!!!!!
Then you slowly see him change. It's remarkable how physical and emotional reflect each other so well in this process, and the character becomes progressively more sympathetic. Especially as the film reaches its last moments.
So, on the whole shot, this is a damn good movie with a big heart. What's keeping it from being perfect? I'd have to say it's the film's inability to capture any secondary characters with any amount of depth, or that much attention. Yes, this is very much the story of Wikus, but a large amount of side characters are not only kind of flat, but some even iredeemable. Of course, these are the antagonists, and they shouldn't be that likable... Still, some background/personality traits would have bee appreciated.
Other than that, though, District 9 is just a good fucking movie.
Overall - 9, and I'll stand by that rating, too. D9 is da shiznet, yo! (I immediately apologize for that statement). You should check it out for yourself sometime.
* - What's with me being all bitchy? Sorry 'bout that.
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