Mini District 9 review (no/minimal spoilers)

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Digital_Boy
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Mini District 9 review (no/minimal spoilers)

Post by Digital_Boy »

First, I'll address the issue that this is merely "Alien Nation" warmed over and given a fresh coat of CGI paint; it's not. It bears some superficial resemblances to Alien Nation, inasmuch as there is a mothership that comes to rest over a major city, and the aliens are in a wretched state and subsequently become an outcast class that is barely tolerated by the local human populace. Aside from that, District 9 takes it's own path and tells a much different story.

The CGI work with the aliens, aka "prawns", is astounding in that you think they're extremely complicated models at first. The shading and fluidity of motion is that good.

The pacing is spot on, giving a good mix of action and dialog and plot moving scenes. There are a couple of instances where you simply go "what?" at some of the supporting character's actions and motives, but it's not so jarring that it detracts from the overall experience.

The technology shown won't be a huge surprise to anyone who's even a casual science fiction buff, and the technobabble is all but nonexistent. It's a good portrayal of a lower technology culture struggling to understand devices that are 100's of years ahead of their own.

Finally, the ending of the film left the door wide open for a sequel, which I feel this movie almost demands. There's still more story yet to tell.

For the hard core sci-fi nerd, you'll want to see this at least twice on the big screen, I know I do. For the more mainstream action fan, it's also a solid hit. Definitely will make Neill Blomkamp's name known in Hollywood, if not a household name.
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