I’m so pleased that the Halo adaptation fell through, I’m glad Peter Jackson gave his new best mate Neil Bloomkamp $30 million to make what ever he wanted.
District 9 is the result, proving that Jackson is a great judge of character. I’m gonna send him my script idea right away, but that’s another post…
Planet of the Apes meets City of God, or Alien meets I don’t know what, District 9 drops you into a dense world, our world: A dirty, corrupt, segregated media frenzy of South Africa. After the familiar barrage of news footage setting the scene just as in Bloomkamps brilliant short Alive in Joberg we are brought up to date – or just beyond and that’s where it gets even more weird and gripping.
It’s violent, it’s unpredictable, it’s graphic, it’s fast and the script is slick. It’s obvious comment on South Africa’s troubled history is on point but not over the top. As for the production design, I can’t begin to imagine how half of the shots/set pieces were created. It all plays out with a constant feeling of flux, the camera style is documentary and on the fly, although I’m sure it was all meticulously planned out. The plot twists and turns, throwing all kinds of punches as our unlikely hero, Wikus played by the brilliant Sharlto Copley, goes from a no one to the most important person on the planet. For his debut feature Copley is captivating as his character goes through a brutal character arc, interestingly his next feature part is as Capt. 'Howling Mad' Murdock in the upcoming A-Team film – that’s another post too…
Below is a short behind the scenes clip for all you film maker geeks out there, amazing stuff. I urge you to see this film and at the cinema, even if you are not a big sci-fi fan or don’t really fancy it. If you like films you’ll love this, just make sure it’s on an empty stomach…
Woof.
District 9 is the result, proving that Jackson is a great judge of character. I’m gonna send him my script idea right away, but that’s another post…
Planet of the Apes meets City of God, or Alien meets I don’t know what, District 9 drops you into a dense world, our world: A dirty, corrupt, segregated media frenzy of South Africa. After the familiar barrage of news footage setting the scene just as in Bloomkamps brilliant short Alive in Joberg we are brought up to date – or just beyond and that’s where it gets even more weird and gripping.
It’s violent, it’s unpredictable, it’s graphic, it’s fast and the script is slick. It’s obvious comment on South Africa’s troubled history is on point but not over the top. As for the production design, I can’t begin to imagine how half of the shots/set pieces were created. It all plays out with a constant feeling of flux, the camera style is documentary and on the fly, although I’m sure it was all meticulously planned out. The plot twists and turns, throwing all kinds of punches as our unlikely hero, Wikus played by the brilliant Sharlto Copley, goes from a no one to the most important person on the planet. For his debut feature Copley is captivating as his character goes through a brutal character arc, interestingly his next feature part is as Capt. 'Howling Mad' Murdock in the upcoming A-Team film – that’s another post too…
Below is a short behind the scenes clip for all you film maker geeks out there, amazing stuff. I urge you to see this film and at the cinema, even if you are not a big sci-fi fan or don’t really fancy it. If you like films you’ll love this, just make sure it’s on an empty stomach…
Woof.
