Friday, August 21, 2009

Mini movie review: District 9

Dang! I can't decide whether the R rating is for all the crazy splattery bloody violence (perpetrated against both man and alien) or for the fact that variations of "f*ck" were in pretty much every single line of dialogue after the first ten minutes. I haven't heard that much cussing since I was watching Deadwood. Awesome!

District 9 is, in fact, awesome, a shining example of how to do an alien/action movie, but make it a smart allegory, include no cleavage whatsoever and do it on a tiny little budget. The F/X are fabulous, both the "prawns" and their tech (the alien mothership is a wonder to behold) and the explode-y bits. People do NOT get to outrun explosions in this movie (ahem, Michael Bay). And, holy shit: actual acting! The lead, Sharlto Copley, is fantastic. I hope this movie nets him more gigs.

Yes, the denouement is a little sappy, and the flick runs a little long, but jeesh - that ain't so bad. If you can stomach the genre and the violence, District 9 is a great sleeper movie. I think it's doing well. I'm very pleased about that.

Also, noteworthy trailers: for Jennifer's Body - can Amanda Seyfried*, geeked out in glasses, actually kick Megan Fox's ass? I sure hope so! and for Legion - Paul Bettany as an angel, I guess, here on earth to save a pregnant Tyra Collett from ... more angels? Sign me up. Ooh! and for Zombieland!!!

* Also, Kyle Gallner apparently gets eaten - is Diablo Cody a Veronica Mars fan or what?

1 comment:

  1. When Christopher said "F**k", the whole theater cracked up, me included. I really enjoyed the movie. I'd never have known the budget was only $30M ($10M LESS than Julie & Julia) if I hadn't read it. Some if the violence reminded me of clips I've seen of early Peter Jackson works. Some of the Prawn weapons reminded me of stuff from "Half-Life II". I've highly recommended it to the folks I think will enjoy it. I can't wait to see what the director does next.

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