Blu-Ray Review:
District 9
By Jason Gillard
*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
Current Rottentomatoes.com score 90% Fresh: 215 Rotten: 23
Director Neill Blomkamp teams with producer Peter Jackson for this tale of extraterrestrial refugees stuck in contemporary South Africa. It's been 28 years since the aliens made first contact, but there was never any attack from the skies, nor any profound technological revelation capable of advancing our society. Instead, the aliens were treated as refugees. They were the last of their kind, and in order to accommodate them, the government of South Africa set up a makeshift home in District 9 as politicians and world leaders debated how to handle the situation. As the humans begin to grow wary of the unwelcome intruders, a private company called Multi-National United (MNU) is assigned the task of controlling the aliens. But MNU is less interested in the aliens' welfare than attempting to understand how their weaponry works. Should they manage to make that breakthrough, they will receive tremendous profits to fund their research. Unfortunately, the highly advanced weaponry requires alien DNA in order to be activated. When MNU field operative Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is exposed to biotechnology that causes his DNA to mutate, the tensions between the aliens and the humans intensifies. Wikus is the key to unlocking the alien's technology, and he quickly becomes the most wanted man on the planet. Ostracized and isolated, Wikus retreats to District 9 in a desperate bid to shake his dogged pursuers.
District 9 is a perfect example of how to make a movie with a modest budget and then reap the rewards at the box office. The movie was a huge hit and had a great marketing campaign behind it. I remembered being at the theater and seeing signs posted near the entrance to the bathroom that said humans only. A very subtle reminder that the film was coming. I very much enjoyed the film. It's shot in sort of a documentary style. The main actor in the film is a new comer Sharlto Copley. He was simply fantastic as Wikus. The movie has some pretty gross scenes and the transformation of Wikus is so good we probably haven't seen something like this since the Fly. Overall if you're a fan of Sci-Fi, great acting, and top notch special effects I am not sure how you wouldn't like this film.
9 out of 10
Video
District 9 arrives on Blu-ray with a stellar transfer. Colours are accurate and when they need to be can be lush and deep. Most of the film takes place in the slums of South Africa. So most of the colour comes from the aliens themselves. The rest of landscape is dotted with grays, browns and a very worn down look. Black levels are also strong, but most of this movie takes place in the daytime. Detail is super strong, you can see every gory detail in Wikus fingernails when they start breaking off. Textures are sharp with rusted shacks and a baby alien growing operation that oozes with detail. Flesh tones on the actors faces come across natural and look great. Since this movie is shot to look like a documentary some of the transfer looks bad on purpose. This was all done to bring out the documentary feel. The movie is pure eye candy and for me the 1:85.1 transfers is best with detail. When there are close ups of the actors faces we see beads of sweat and pores in the face. Not many Blu-rays have looked this good and the transfer is pristine.
9.5 out of 10
Audio
With the video being so flawless were you thinking Sony would drop the ball on the audio? Well thankfully they have not. They have provided us with a simply rocking DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. This DTS track puts the listener right into district 9 making every speaker come alive to convince you that you are there. Everything from explosions, alien language, background ambiance is present in this track. When the alien weaponry is fired, they sound absolutely fantastic. The LFE channel is hard at working making the rounds expelled by the automatic weaponry sound really realistic. Dialogue comes across clean and, even with all the effects going on, never really gets lost in the mix. There isn't really a score or soundtrack to speak of, but this track does what it's supposed to do and that's immerse the listener in the slums of South Africa with aliens who have gotten out of control. This is definitely one of the better sounding discs I have heard.
9 out of 10
Extras
Here is what is available in the way of extras
Commentary: Director/Co-Writer Neill Blomkamp
Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of 'District 9'
The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log
- Envisioning 'District 9
- Shooting 'District 9'
- Refining 'District 9'
Innovation: The Acting and Improvisation of 'District 9'
Conception and Design: Creating the World of 'District 9'
Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of 'District 9'
22 deleted scenes
God of War III Demo for PS3
Digital Copy
Sony's "MovieIQ"
As you can see there is a truckload of features waiting for you to dive into. But the best part is the extras included here all pretty much have substance. Let's start off with the Commentary. This was recorded before the movie was in theaters. Neill talks about all parts of the production. He talks about his relationship with his actors and he talks about making the visual effects look real, he also talks about shooting in South Africa. He talks about Wikus's gory transformation. You name it he talks about it. So if you're a fan of the film, you should really give this one a listen. The Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of 'District 9' is an interactive map that allows viewers to visit key areas in the film like the mother ship etc. Then you can get some background information on that location. You can also view conceptual drawings, bios on characters etc. It's time well spent. "The Alien Agenda: A Filmmakers Log is broken into three segments. In the first segment they look at creature design, they talk about Neill's short film called Alive In Joburg and how the story evolved from that film to this one. In the second feature which shows how they shot certain key scenes and the difficulties in shooting in South Africa. As this feature is going on it is inter-cut with interviews with the cast. In the last segment they look at working on the soundtrack and the cast and crews reaction to making the film. Overall all three segments are worth your while. Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus was my favorite feature. It talks about how 100% practical makeup was used and the difficulties of keeping it perfect scene to scene. My other favorite feature was Conception and Design: Creating the World of 'District 9'. This feature looks at set dressing and props. It's very cool how they came up with some of the alien technology in the film. I also liked Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of 'District 9' . This feature looks at how they brought the visual effects to life. Overall there is a lot that is good here. Giving it one of the higher scores I have given extras in awhile.
9 out of 10
Overall
Sony has really outdone themselves for this release. Top notch visuals and audio, and a set of extras that is worth your time and then some. Overall if Sony produces more Blu-ray's like this then we're in for a real treat.
9 out of 10