A few years ago a lot of fuss was raised about a film adaptation of Bungie's Halo video game franchise. Peter Jackson was to have... something to do with it. Now, I've heard people say that he was attached to direct but that was probably a rumor. He was certainly to produce the film. Enter Neill Blomkamp, director of short-films and commercials. He made a trilogy of shorts set in the Halo universe known as Landfall, mostly to promote the release of Halo 3.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxdvGO1oOF0]
It's hard not to get excited for a Halo movie after watching that, right? They are truly great pieces of film-making. However, I find my self satisfied that the Halo film failed. Why? Because Jackson moved on to produce Blomkamp's first feature: District 9.
District 9, I found out, is an expansion of one of Blomkamp's previous short films Alive in Joburg. It explores the same themes and uses the same documentary style for some of the film.
http://www.spyfilms.com/#neill_blomkamp/alive_in_joburg
D9 is a fantastic film. It is smart, emotionally involving, stylish, and well-executed by wonderful actors. Technically, it is an astounding achievement. With a budget of only $30 million it pulls off some of the most impressive CGI and special effects I've seen this year. Compare that too Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's overbloated $200 million budget.
Sharlto Copley deftly portrays hero Wikus. The plot involves alien refugees (bug-like humanoids) that are segregated from society. Wikus is chosen to lead an effort to relocate the aliens due to growing public fears. Things turn awry when Wikus is exposed to an alien substance and I'll let you figure out the rest. The film shifts from a documentary perspective to a more traditional third-person perspective. Blomkamp handles this with great precision and it is never a distraction.
Perhaps Halo will one day get its film made. But until then, I'm sure everyone short of the uber-fans will not be disappointed at the turn of events. This is the best film I've seen this year. Go watch it: 5/5
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