Sci-fi based on the short film, 'Alive in Jo'berg' (2005), about the tense relationship that exisits between a group of aliens who have been living on earth for 30 years and the humans who have been trying to keep them segregated and under their control. The aliens live in a place called District 9 in South Africa in squalid conditions and are now under the supervision of Multi-National United (MNU), a company who are solely interested in exploiting the aliens' superior technology to make money. However, the only way of getting the extra-terrestrial technology to work is by using alien DNA, so when MNU worker Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) becomes infected with a DNA altering disease, giving him alien DNA, he becomes a very desirable commodity. Realising he is alone and in serious danger, and as relations between the aliens and humans intensify, van der Merwe must enter District 9 to escape.
| Starring: |
Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Summer, William Allen Young, Elizabeth Mkandawie, Greg Melvill-Smith, Nick Blake, Jed Brophy, Barry Strydom |
| Director: |
Neill Blomkamp |
| Languages: |
English |
| Distributor: |
|
MyMovies
Hang on a second. These thinking man sci-fis are like buses...you wait for ages for one to come along then ...
Hang on a second. These thinking man sci-fis are like buses...you wait for ages for one to come along then two turn up at once! Hot on the heels of Duncan Jones' startling Moon comes a run 'n' gun adventure wrapped up in a socio-political allegory from first-time director Neil Blomkamp. With Peter Jackson singing Blomkamp's praises from the rooftops, as well as producing here, expectations were suitably high for the debutant. Ever since the long-overdue "Halo" project took a nosedive, Blomkamp, and Jackson, returned to a more lo-fi concept and helped each other to realise a feature-length version of the director's "Alive in Jo'Burg" - a fantastic short about illegal aliens in Blomkamp's native south Africa. Of course, the aliens in question here are in fact of the extraterrestrial kind. The insectoid 'Prawns', as they're spitefully dubbed, are here to stay ever since their mothership came to a shuddering halt right over Johannesburg some 20 years ago. Holed up in a shantytown, the Prawns are looked down upon as a menace, a drain on the economy and, worse yet, they are met with scorn and violence within the titular compound. Enter Wikus (played rather well by Blomkamp's friend and non-actor Sharlto Copley), a government dogsbody who loathes the Prawns and is tasked with the sizeable job of moving the alien interlopers en masse to a neighbouring district. When an accident with an alien fuel source leaves Wikus a little worse for wear - his DNA begins to fuse with that of the Prawns - he unwittingly becomes a freedom fighter for the aliens. OK, so the final reel of "District 9" is more in keeping with contemporary bombast and sci-fi thrills as Wikus takes up arms against his former paymasters (with extraordinary effects), but the film really is a remarkably deft study of the perils that are still tearing at a country to this day. Made for a reported $30 million, "District 9" is not only a wonder to behold, with a compelling blend of documentary footage and rip-roaring action, but is also a welcome return for thought-provoking sci-fi.
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Press Association
Hip indie director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited) is an odd fit for Roald Dahl's classic children's ...
Hip indie director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited) is an odd fit for Roald Dahl's classic children's story. The film-maker certainly brings his offbeat and distinctly adult sensibilities to bear on Fantastic Mr. Fox, creating another portrait of familial dysfunction and miscommunication. Anderson imprints his personality so indelibly on the script, co-written by Noah Baumbach, that it's hard to see children enjoying the film. The simplicity and sweetness of the original story, which ran to less than 100 pages with illustrations from Quentin Blake, becomes obscured by rewrites and additions. Unlike his previous films, Anderson chooses stop-motion animation as his medium here and it works a treat. Visually, the months of painstaking effort have been worthwhile, including fast-paced action sequences of the wily vulpine sneaking around farmyards in search of a tasty treat. Mr Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is never content with his life, always looking to move up in the world with his long-suffering wife, Mrs Fox (Meryl Streep). He plots a daring raid on the chicken coop only to get caught in a trap. "If we're still alive tomorrow, I want you to find another line of work," seethes Mrs Fox. Two years later, Mr Fox has followed his wife's dictate and is the bread-winner for his family, including a disgruntled son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) who just wants to win the respect of his old man. Tension between the generations flares when nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) comes to stay and puts poor Ash in the shade. Mr Fox cannot completely shy away from his animal instincts, and he turns to stealing from farmers Bunce (Hugo Guinness), Bean (Michael Gambon) and Boggis (Brian Cox), ropi, ng in Kristofferson to his hare-brained schemes. Having been humiliated by the fox, the trio lay siege to the trees where the family resides and open fire on Mr Fox, shooting off his bushy tail. Luckily, neighbouring critters including Badger (Bill Murray) rally around Mr Fox in his hour of need to help him elude the pursuers. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a visual triumph, let down slightly by a screenplay that doesn't know to which audience it is trying to appeal. The articulated characters have plenty of personality and there are some neat flourishes like when Mr Fox compliments his wife, "You're practically glowing, maybe it's the lighting", and her head is suddenly illuminated from within. The climactic escape is mind-boggling, leading to another cute gag reminiscent of Wallace and Gromit when Mr Fox races towards Bean's motorcycle and sidecar and drives away in an exact miniature replica hidden behind the hulking machine. The vocal performances from Clooney and Streep lend warmth to their warring couple, with fine support from Schwartzman, Murray and co, who are all regular collaborators on Anderson's films. For its technical ingenuity, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a film you admire and marvel at rather than unreservedly love.
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