District 9

District 9 is a great modern science fiction film, with an interesting premise steeped in political and racial turmoil. The documentary style greatly enhances the realism and makes it easy to recommend — provided, of course, you can stomach a fair share of  gore (I’d rather they had dialed that back a bit, myself). I still wish someone would create a modern version of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds like this!

This film began it’s life as a short by director Neill Blomkamp called “Alive in Joberg” — well worth checking out if you’d like to get an feel for this film ahead of time. In fact, that short attracted the attention of Peter Jackson, who brought Blomkamp on board to direct a film based on the Halo franchise. That fell through — perhaps investors were nervous about this unproven director? — and Jackson and Blomkamp instead turned “Alive in Joberg” into District 9.

I bet the people who dumped the Halo film are kicking themselves now.

The ending leaves open the opportunity for a sequel; I just hope that if they do one, they find a way to make it feel as real and gritty and contemporary as the original.