District 9

After seeing the trailer for District 9, I was hesitant to agree when my friend said he wanted to go see it with me. Things went from bad to worse after we arrived, only to find that most of the theatre was sold out and that the only seats left were in the front row to the side. The biggest screen in town, the closest seats to said screen and two hours of film is not a combination for the faint hearted. Luckily, the film exceeded my expectations by a long way, so it was worth it. Kind of.

The film is typical of a Peter Jackson-billed release and you can't come away not thinking that everything he touches turns to gold. With a strong setting, an interesting and unique plot which pushes the current boundaries, and a lot of amazing effects and aliens, District 9 pleasantly surprised me in both its' free-hand filming and editing, acting and overall story. With undertones of apartheid and company ethics running through the film, District 9 takes being a dumb sci-fi and turns it into a cinematic gold mine.

There were laughs, shocks and the odd tear, but after leaving the theatre (with eyes the size of plasma televisions and a neck like Michelangelo's), it only made me yearn for Jackson's next release, The Lovely Bones, which isn't that far off now. Let's face it, the guy could shit out a brick and make it watchable. This just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its' cover, and certainly not a film by its' trailer. So although I wouldn't recommend getting front row tickets, I will recommend that you go out and see District 9 and indulge that inner alien in all of you.