District 9 did not stand a chance in hell in winning the Best Picture nomination it was up for. But, surely its mention amongst the likes of Precious, Avatar and The Hurt Locker is more than just to fill in the gaps of the now ten candidates? I like to think it is.
Whilst fundamentally flawed in its execution (the shift between docu-drama and the proper is horrendously jarring at first), Neill Blomkamp’s debut was comfortably one of the best films of last year. It somehow manages to make the generic fresh and whilst the director has stated many times that his main aim was to make an exciting action picture (of which he has succeeded with aplomb), there is no denying the rather poignant and relevant social subtext that harkens back to the real life District 6.
Watching it a second time was no less exciting than the first and for a film that had no named actors (although Sharlto Copley will be starring as H.M. Murdoch in this summer’s A-Team movie), a $30 million dollar budget and a first time director, its success in both its delivery and box office gross is nothing short of staggering.
Dare I say it, but it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Aliens and both Terminators. It’s brilliant.
5/5
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