District 9 [DVD] [2009]

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Director: Neill Blomkamp
Actors: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~£19.99~~
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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

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Format: Anamorphic, PAL
Languages: English (Audio Description), English (Subtitled), Hindi (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5035822576032

Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: December 28, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
A provocative science fiction drama, District 9 boasts an original story that gets a little lost in blow-'em-up mayhem. Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, District 9 begins as a mock documentary about the imminent eviction of extraterrestrials from a pathetic shantytown (called District 9). The creatures, it turns out, have been on Earth for years, having arrived sickly and starving. Initially received by humans with compassion and care, the aliens are now mired in blighted conditions typical of long-term refugee camps unwanted by a hostile, host society. With the creatures' care contracted out to a for-profit corporation, the shantytown has become a violent slum. The aliens sift through massive piles of junk while their minders secretly research weapons technology that arrived on the visitors' spacecraft. Against this backdrop is a more personal story about a bureaucrat named Wikus (Sharlto Copley) who is accidentally exposed to a DNA-altering substance. As he begins metamorphosing into one of the creatures, Wikus goes on the run from scientists who want to harvest his evolving, new parts and aliens who see him as a threat. When he pairs up with an extraterrestrial secretly planning an escape from Earth, however, what should be a fascinating relationship story becomes a series of firefights and explosions. Nuance is lost to numbing violence, and the more interesting potential of the film is obscured. Yet, for a while District 9 is a powerful movie with a unique tale to tell. Seamless special effects alone are worth seeing: the (often brutal) exchanges between alien and human are breathtaking. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

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prawn cocktail September 24, 2009
stephen (england)
113 out of 124 found this review helpful

Neill Blomkamps stunning directorial vision tells the story of a stranded race of aliens nicknamed prawns due to their appearance living in a shanty town named District 9. Attempting to relocate them to district 10 is MNU agent Wikus van de merwe brilliantly played by Sharlto Copley.

Abandoning the usual settings of Hollywood sc-fi and placing the film in the harsh slums of South Africa is a masterstroke. Also no celebrity names here, all unfamiliar actors but who still give solid performances. It's dark and moving with a story that is well told and that grips right from the beginning. A story which is almost saying that all humans are selfish driven by greed and vanity. Which is why this movie pulls no punches, hardly anyone comes out of it smelling of roses.

Blomkamp has managed to create aliens that are grotesque in appearance but yet display just enough feeling that made me care for their predicament something that the other humans in the Movie lack. The effects are genuinely good and don't look cheap with imaginative weaponry. No cheesy laser zappers here, just explosive firepower wait until you see what one alien gun does to a human Body.

The last third of the movie involves firefights and brilliant battle scenes with alien weaponry. Rarely in the sci-fi genre has a movie been so deep dealing with so many issues through prejudice, mans inhumanity and cruelness and large corrupt companies. Central to it is the superb performance of Copley and his bond with the alien Christopher. Blomkamp has fused a great story together and created a classic sci-fi flick that I enjoyed immensely.

5 out of 5 stars

Original, intelligent, funny, exciting sci-fi January 7, 2010
N. Thompson (Hull, England)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Please dont judge this film in the first 15 to 20 minutes; give it time and you will find yourself suprised at how much you like this film. At first 'District 9' appears to be corny, cheesey and unrealistic but by the end of the film it had completely won me over. This is a completely original type of film and is very clever in the way it plays with your emotions.

The movie starts off as almost a 'mockumentary' then soon develops into a dark psychological drama hi-lighting mans natural xenophobia to cultures they do not understand. Then towards the end; the film changes direction and becomes more of an action-packed sci-fi movie with effects and moments of suspense that kept me on the edge of the seat. All the while; this highly original movie has elements of dark humour from beginning to end. All emotions are excerised watching in this enjoyable flick.

The biggest suprise for 2009 and a great film.

5 out of 5 stars

Completely unique and definately deserves all its glory January 7, 2010
D. Wright
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

If you are looking for something different and original then this is the film for you! It is produced by the director of The Lord of the Rings and boy does it show!

I have read some of the other reviews and I don't agree that it will only be liked by "Cloverfield" fans. It's nothing like Cloverfield in my opinion. The characters are really strong and believable and the movie just gets better as it goes along (at the beginning you are wondering what the hell is this!). I would definately recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars

A truly unique experience that lives up to all the hype January 8, 2010
K. O'Leary (Milton Keynes, England)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Although I thought I knew what to expect from this Movie after hearing so much about it from various sources, I was still totally surprised by what I saw on my screen. The film is split into three distinct acts; the first is almost a black comedy, looking and sounding to all the world like a bizarre episode of "The Office", complete with a Brent style jobsworth and total dufus Wikus Van De Merwe (played by Shartlo Copley in a scorching debut), who slowly becomes the hero of the piece. I note from some of the negative reviews here that many say they couldn't (or wouldn't) watch more than the first thirty minutes, well I have some sympathy if they were expecting a Transformer style action-fest, but I thought it was a wonderful set-up, and certainly made what followed even more entertaining and unexpected. The second act sees the film transform into a subtle sci-fi drama, with the mockumentary stylings slowly phased out, and the satirical musings on prejudice starting to take on a more disturbing tone. The finale eventually does bring the action-fest we long for, and is a roller coaster ride that never fails to deliver in thrills and baddie gibbing satisfaction; it is obviously highly influenced by first person shooter computer games and is all the better for it. Fortunately, the makers didn't go for a "brave" ending, and I was very relieved by the feel-good conclusion.

I do have a few criticisms though. I thought the film was a little too cynical about how we Humans would feel towards the Aliens, surely there'd be more of us that cared about their plight? And the more I see of CGI the more I dislike it; it's OK for static objects but just can't recreate the fluid movement of living forms in my opinion, roll on the next generation of cinematic effects. I did like the references to superstitious sub-culture though, this is very relevant to the Africa of today where some very dangerous practises and beliefs are unchecked or even encouraged. There is some very interesting use of Steadicam as well by the way.

Blu-Ray presentation is also praise worthy; the image quality is spectacular with crystal clear detail and great depth perception (particularly in the outdoor scenes). Grain is practically non-existent, and there is a yellow caste to the image, I believe this may be to achieve a more video like quality. Whatever, it means colours are a little muted (this would be deliberate of course). Sound quality is also high, bass in particular is satisfyingly deep, and all speakers work to surround you with a detailed, tangible soundscape.

5 out of 5 stars

Real, gritty sci-fi. January 19, 2010
Dimmer Thanmost (France)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Wow! What a breath of fresh air. A proper bit of human/alien interaction sci-fi which doesn't rely on Hollywood big names or superfluous set-piece fights or explosions. The initial documentary style seemed a little irritating at the time but it didn't last long and introduced the characters and story background effectively - oddly, I didn't notice when it stopped and the 'real film' started.

While the story-line is fairly simple (down-trodden aliens trying to escape human tyranny) the film never lacks pace and the CGI of the aliens is simply incredible - it is definitely the best I've seen. I'm sure there are critics out there who would choose to look at the 'obvious but superficial' South African apartheid parallel but that would be typical of wishy-wash, unimaginative and generally beige thinking so prevalent today.

All-in-all, it is an absolutely cracking film - one of the best I've seen for a long time.

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