District 9
District 9 is the kind of movie that needs to be made more often. Unfortunately creative and entertaining science fiction films are few and far between these days. Like the best science fiction it doesn't dwell on the wow factor of its alternate reality, it lives in it and treats it with respect. Instead of trying to blow your mind with visuals, it does what is necessary to get the job done.
Dropping you straight into the story makes for an abrupt start but once you get used to the aliens and the South African accents, District 9 just clicks. It's like a combination of 28 Days Later, Black Hawk Down, and The Fly, but with aliens. I really appreciated that the filmmakers trusted their storytelling and didn't spoon feed the audience the back story, instead dolling it out gradually throughout the film. They also handled the social satire aspects of the film very well. The few times I was afraid the movie was about to get heavy handed, it pulled back and gave some perspective on the situation at hand.
The only issue I had with District 9 was that some of the plot was a bit cliche. Despite the unique circumstances, the film devolves into a standard buddy movie at the end. Even so, this film shows just how much you can do with a relatively low budget. The effects are generally very strong and the acting is solid. Overall a great experience. 4/5
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