First things first, I'm not big on Sci-Fi. Sure every once in a while we get a movie that defies the genre and transcends its roots, such Minority Report & Children Of Men but for the most part, I'm indifferent to spaceships, futuristic toys & the sudden urge to run away from things. Which is why I was indifferent to watching District 9- produced by Peter Jackson- which has been getting surprisingly positive feedback from audiences and critics- not to mention its 30 million dollar box office opening this past weekend. Directed by South African newcomer Neil Blomkamp, I was highly impressed by its social relevance and the mirrored reflection it takes on the South African Apartheid & not to mention Acting newcomer Shartlo Copley, exceedingly good as a man infected by an alien transformative virus.
The first half completely floored me, I was wondering 'what the hell is going on here' ? which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned, meaning a movie has caught you off guard and gotten you intrigued by its concept. What I didn't like was the last third of the film- which changes from the first half's social consciousness of integration into another run of the mill action blockbuster. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie- but if only it would have stuck to its original roots and layed down the action a little less. Its first 90 minutes are a solid foundation to build upon with undeniable shades of the world we live in but its last 20 turn into a Transformers type of movie, which -as far as I'm concerned- is never a good thing. This is not a mixed review but call me disappointed.
The first half completely floored me, I was wondering 'what the hell is going on here' ? which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned, meaning a movie has caught you off guard and gotten you intrigued by its concept. What I didn't like was the last third of the film- which changes from the first half's social consciousness of integration into another run of the mill action blockbuster. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie- but if only it would have stuck to its original roots and layed down the action a little less. Its first 90 minutes are a solid foundation to build upon with undeniable shades of the world we live in but its last 20 turn into a Transformers type of movie, which -as far as I'm concerned- is never a good thing. This is not a mixed review but call me disappointed.
Noah Baumbach's “Jay Kelly” is joining the Criterion Collection on February 16, 2027. It's one of the headliners of the newly announced February slate, and it's coming out barely a year after Netflix released it.