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District 9

New Zealand, South Africa

2009

112 Min
Color
1.85:1
Nyanja, English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
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DIR Neill Blomkamp, Peter Robert Gerber, Simon Hansen

EXEC Bill Block, Ken Kamins

PROD Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham, Mpho Gift Twala

SCR Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell

DP Trent Opaloch

CAST Sharlto Copley, David James, Jason Cope, Mandla Gaduka

ED Julian Clarke

PROD DES Philip Ivey

MUSIC Clinton Shorter

Synopsis

Thirty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth.

Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa’s District 9 as the world’s nations argued over what to do with them.

Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens’ welfare – they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens’ awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA.

The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable – he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.

Director

Original

Neill Blomkamp

South African-born short film director Neill Blomkamp established himself in his field with a hand-held, first-person camera style. He also became highly sought after for his ability to blend computer-generated effects with a film’s naturalistic elements, soon becoming a popular director for commercials. He provided his visual effects services for a number of American TV shows, like Smallville and Dark Angel, before combining his skill sets as the director of a feature film, helming the sci-fi epic District 9 in 2009. The film earned strong reviews, and was a box-office hit. In addition, Blomenkamp earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination from the academy for his work on his debut. —allmovie guide 

Wall

Displaying 4 of 104 wall posts.
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ElTigreNegro

2Apr13

Why the movie decides to give us such a stereotypical nerdy character as the lead is beyond me. It ruined the mood of the film for me.

Picture of Matt

Matt

19Feb13

It's alright. Doesn't come even remotely close to it's hype, but it is kind of fun. Watch it when there's nothing better to do.

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j.h m

9Feb13

Precious. one of my best films ever. i love how the movie describes aliens-which is far from being normal.

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Fans

Displaying 5 of 4263 fans.

Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

Peter Jackson Answers Questions From The Auteurs Community

By Glenn Kenny on December 8, 2009

Director Peter Jackson has had one of the most unusual journeys in contemporary film history, going from frantic micro-budgeted shock-horror

read article
W184

The Auteurs Daily: In Theaters, 14/8. Plus: Basterds, Sight & Sound

By David Hudson on August 14, 2009

Big day. The two best-reviewed films opening in theaters this weekend center on relationships between human beings and beings that aren't

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District 9 review

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
If you’re wondering why this review appeared so long after its initial release, it’s because I live in that part of the world where this film just opened in theaters. District 9 is without a doubt the
read on Twitchfilm.com

A Contrarian View - Review of DISTRICT 9

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
Right out of the gate here, I’m going to commit one of the capital sins of criticism. I am going to review the film I wanted rather than the film that director Neill Blomkamp delivered. Perhaps it is a
read on Twitchfilm.com

A Contrarian View - Review of DISTRICT 9

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
Right out of the gate here, I’m going to commit one of the capital sins of criticism. I am going to review the film I wanted rather than the film that director Neill Blomkamp delivered. Perhaps it is a
read on Twitchfilm.net

District 9 review

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
If you’re wondering why this review appeared so long after its initial release, it’s because I live in that part of the world where this film just opened in theaters. District 9 is without a doubt the
read on Twitchfilm.net

Lists

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Reviews

Displaying 4 of 17

Manages to wrap and old shoe in new paper

By Henrik Schunk on January 14, 2012

Sometimes I think that the guys making the trailers in Hollywood are the least talented bunch of morons you could come across. District 9 is an intelligent and moving, yet playful take on the issue…  read review

An Instant Classic

By lolo341 on November 27, 2011

What makes District 9 an instant classic is that is brings together elements seen in other movies but which have never been put together in this particular fashion so that even though there’s a familiarity…  read review

DISTRICT 9

By Daniel A. DiCenso on September 4, 2011

South Africa in the apartheid years was not much different than its depiction in District 9, the title itself an evocation of Cape Town’s infamous District 6. In a nation divided by race…  read review

[Last Time I Saw] District 9

By lasttim​eisaw on November 8, 2010

Title: District 9
Year: 2009
Country: USA, New Zealand
Language: English, Nyanja
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Writers: Neil Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
Cast:
  read review

Forum

Displaying 5 discussion topics.

Battle of the Day

8 posts by 5 people about 3 years ago

DISAPPOINTED BY DISTRICT 9

42 posts by 36 people about 3 years ago

Hollywood has no Original Ideas

23 posts by 14 people over 3 years ago

Tribalism

5 posts by 2 people almost 4 years ago