Imagine you are three months into pre-production of one of the most elaborate movies of all time.   It's big, but not as well known as Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but just as big.  Then due to issues between the studios and the property owners of the story, the plug is pulled on the entire project.  What do you do?

If you are lucky and smart you get District 9.  

District 9 is the child of 29 year old director Neill Blomkamp.  District 9 is entirely based on the concept from a short video Alive in Joburg which Blomkamp directed and Sharlto Copley produced in 2005.  It's worth noting that Sharlto Copley (authentic South African) has the starring role as Wikus in District 9.

Both Alive In Joburg and District 9 are truly original ideas which elevates this sci-fi horror film to greatness; yes horror.  It's extremely graphic but mostly be inference.  Bodies blow up but the action is so fast you are not left watching grotesque images.

You may question what was the original film much of the production of District 9 repurposed?  It was none other than Halo, based on the Bungee studios video game built exclusively for the Microsoft Xbox game consoles.  If you are aware of Halo's story line it's entirely possible to envision District 9 as the precursor to Halo.  In the story Halo, earth is at war with an alien race.  A back history question is what caused the war?  Generally wars are provoked and story of District 9 could be that provocation towards an alien race that drives Halo.

Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings Director) was slotted to head up the Halo movie and he brought in Neill Blomkamp to direct it.  When Microsoft (owners of the Halo property) and Universal brought a premature and sudden end to the Halo movie (some say due to the big budget in a unstable economy) it left Jackson and Blomkamp knee deep in production assets.  With Blomkamp's unique story line of Alive In Joburg in hand, the Jackson felt not only did he owe Blomkamp a movie, but the story was ideal. 

While none of the weapons in District 9 are Halo weapons, a few are strikingly similar.  Another ironic point is where the story takes place. In Halo the earth action takes place in a fictitious city of South Mombasa in Africa.  District 9 takes its name from the holding area for an alien race that without reason bring a large mother ship to hover over Johannesburg South Africa.

At this point District 9 takes on its own unique identity, one that offers movie goers something different to chew on with so many re-hashed stories in film today.  The alien's appearance is a cross between insect and animal.  They bring with them a clear superiority of fighting machines and weapons, but refuse to share that knowledge with humans for obvious reasons.  Instead they opt to live out their lives in a forced segregation camp known as District 9.

The story revolves around the central character Wikus van der Merwe.  He works for a weapons manufacturer and security force named Multinational United (MNU).  MNU is hired to manage the alien race population whom are stranded below their hovering mothership in Johannesburg. 

I don't like to give away too much of any plot line in my reviews so I'll share this much.  Wikus finds himself in serious trouble while taking on a task for MNU.  Ultimately the aliens he is hired to move about like cattle become his sanctuary and only hope for resolution.  Subtle sub-plots emerge as Wikus has his own protagonist he must face time and again throughout his ordeal.

During the story you find yourself both sympathetic to Wikus and upset with him as you witness his flaws.  He is a simple man put in an extraordinary circumstance and a pawn to MNU's greater goal of finding a way to enable humans to operate alien weaponry.   

There is an element of political and human rights lesson within the story but it's only used to drive the story and not to preach. 

The visual effects are stunning considering the budget was approximately 30 million. Perhaps it's because the effects are used only when necessary and while District 9 is visually compelling the CGI (computer graphics: Computer Generated Illustration) is hardly noticeable.  That's a big plus in today's film world.  It could be that CGI has come along a great deal, or that Peter Jackson's crew is just that much better than the Star Wars film crews.

Another major plus for the story is the ending.  It can serve as a pure and absolute ending or operate as a vehicle to a continued story.  I say continuation as the term sequel just doesn't fit.  District 9 is its own story and one that you can't repeat.  The fate of Wikus is sealed at the end of District 9. 

If you'd like to get a taste of District 9's remarkable setting, check out Alive In Joburg (short for Johannesburg). If you pay close attention during the Alive In Joburg short you'll see Sharlto Copley the producer of both Alive In Joburg and District 9.