Go See District 9.

District 9 may well be the sleeper hit in a Summer of disappointment. I was intrigued when I first saw a teaser trailer for it prior to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, one of those aforementioned disappointments. I think the problem with a lot of the movies this Summer was that they were adaptations of comics or cartoons that I was already a fan of, and I had preconceptions and expectations. Star Trek and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince are probably the only exceptions, films that met or exceeded my expectations based on the source material. I'm forgiving of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen because I'm such a huge fan of the franchise and want to like it. Cut out a few scenes and characters that insulted my intelligence or brought the action to a screeching halt, and the remaining 3/4 of that movie is still pretty awesome.

As for D9, I knew nothing about it prior to the teaser trailer, which seemed to just be some political commentary on Apartheid and South Africa, at least until I caught a glimpse of an alien and saw Peter Jackson's name attached. Even the full trailers, which divulge a little more, didn't prepare me. It was an experience, one which I want to encourage you all to share, without giving too much away. The movie does start as a social commentary, and plays out like a very realistic documentary about the arrival of aliens in Johannesburg, and how they're quickly confined and segregated from the rest of the community. It's a great commentary on human nature, especially as the viewer is just as repulsed by the “Prawns” as the characters in the film. Gradually, you see the way they're being treated as inhumane, and feel shame for your repulsion. Soon, you're rooting for them instead of the humans. Imagine Alien Nation or E.T., shot as a gritty and realistic collection of news and documentary footage.

Newcomer Sharlto Copley sets some kind of record with the range his character goes through. He starts out as a naive Michael Scott character, but you gradually begin to despise him for his actions, even if he is blindly following orders. You want something terrible to happen to him. You're glad when it does. You don't expect a redemptive arc or any heroism. The movie surprises you.

I can honestly say this had the best effects of every science fiction action movie I've seen this year, mostly because it was all so seamless. Kudos to WETA and all others involved. Not once do you question the floating ship, or the aliens interacting with the humans, or the alien weaponry and technology. I'm sure there was some conventional models, costumes, and effects, but the level of digital effects is indistinguishable from what is real. It all looks real. It all looks like it's there.

I was worried several times. I cheered and applauded several times. And I was definitely stunned and shocked more than once. The film really gets to the roots of great science fiction literature, aliens as a metaphor for the way we treat those we perceive as different. The effects and action of your more mainstream stuff is there, but there's a foundation underneath. It's not popcorn, and the film's one reference to popcorn is appalling enough to qualify as disgust for such films. This film has something to say, and the youngest character in the film said it best when he said, “we're the same.”

Why are you still reading this? Go see District 9. Now.