First things first, I'm not big on Sci-Fi. Sure every once in a while we get a movie that defies the genre and transcends its roots, such Minority Report & Children Of Men but for the most part, I'm indifferent to spaceships, futuristic toys & the sudden urge to run away from things. Which is why I was indifferent to watching District 9- produced by Peter Jackson- which has been getting surprisingly positive feedback from audiences and critics- not to mention its 30 million dollar box office opening this past weekend. Directed by South African newcomer Neil Blomkamp, I was highly impressed by its social relevance and the mirrored reflection it takes on the South African Apartheid & not to mention Acting newcomer Shartlo Copley, exceedingly good as a man infected by an alien transformative virus.
The first half completely floored me, I was wondering 'what the hell is going on here' ? which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned, meaning a movie has caught you off guard and gotten you intrigued by its concept. What I didn't like was the last third of the film- which changes from the first half's social consciousness of integration into another run of the mill action blockbuster. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie- but if only it would have stuck to its original roots and layed down the action a little less. Its first 90 minutes are a solid foundation to build upon with undeniable shades of the world we live in but its last 20 turn into a Transformers type of movie, which -as far as I'm concerned- is never a good thing. This is not a mixed review but call me disappointed.
The first half completely floored me, I was wondering 'what the hell is going on here' ? which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned, meaning a movie has caught you off guard and gotten you intrigued by its concept. What I didn't like was the last third of the film- which changes from the first half's social consciousness of integration into another run of the mill action blockbuster. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie- but if only it would have stuck to its original roots and layed down the action a little less. Its first 90 minutes are a solid foundation to build upon with undeniable shades of the world we live in but its last 20 turn into a Transformers type of movie, which -as far as I'm concerned- is never a good thing. This is not a mixed review but call me disappointed.