District 9 (2009)

Sci-Fi

1 hr. 52 min.

From producer Peter Jackson, a cerebral sci-fi tale about alien refugees in South Africa who hold the key to a mysterious, powerful secret.

Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language

Directed by: Neill Blomkamp

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Sumner

Theatrical Release Date: 8/14/2009

Release Type: Wide

U.S. Box Office: $115,646,235

Video/DVD Release Date: 12/22/2009

Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing

Country: New Zealand

Language: English / Nyanja

Offsite: IMDB | Official Site

CRITIC	RATING	QUOTE
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert	7	...does a lot of things right, including giving us aliens to remind us not everyone who comes in a spaceship need be angelic, octopod or stainless steel. They are certainly alien, all right. It is also a seamless merger of the mockumentary and special effects (the aliens are CGI). And there’s a harsh parable here about the alienation and treatment of refugees. But the third act is disappointing...
Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips	7	It's pretty grueling in its way, and very violent. But in this summer of gargantuan mediocrities, a modestly budgeted project with an actual idea in its head, and the wiles to manifest it onscreen, exploding heads and all -- that’s something.
E! Luke Y. Thompson	9	...a memorable work that's likely to stand alongside the sci-fi classics.
filmcritic.com Chris Barsanti	6	Not as smart as it wants to be but much cleverer than it could have been, District 9 is a kind of gross-out laboratory of sociologically-minded science fiction tropes updated for the post-Cloverfield generation.
New York Post Kyle Smith	5	Fans of unrestrained bloody action will find plenty to rouse their spirits, particularly in the gung-ho second hour, but the movie falls into the same uneasy category as Eight Legged Freaks: too tongue-in-cheek to be thrilling, not funny enough to be a comedy.
Slant Magazine Nick Schager	6	...Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi apartheid allegory is defined less by uniquely novel ideas than the shrewd synthesis of classic genre predecessors.
Rolling Stone Peter Travers	8	...a thriller-diller that trades in ideas without forgetting to go whup-ass on your nervous system.
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum	10	...madly original, cheekily political, altogether exciting...
New York Times A. O. Scott	8	...smart, swift...
People Leah Rozen	8	...a clever political film and a kick-ass sci-fi thriller.
Onion AV Club Scott Tobias	8	...fuses science fiction mayhem and biting social commentary as well as any film since Starship Troopers.
Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer	8	...a thinking man's, or man-boy's, Transformers.

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ALL AVERAGE CRITIC RATING	7.7
AVERAGE USER RATING (9 ratings)	7.9

USER REVIEWS:

wynns 8

A bit slow in the beginning. Portions of the story were unexpected. Not overly complex, but more complex than a typical summer explosion-fest (GI Joe).

See in the theater with some friends where it can be loud. Enjoy.

lalligood 8

I concur with wynns' review.

buggyracer 7

SOOO close to being great - just 'something' missing, hard to even explain what it is. A good movie and worth watching, but below the top echelon.

stevilbot 8

they did a surprisingly good job with this. i would agree with another reviewer that there was something intangible that was missing, but overall a really solid sci-fi with a nice twist.