D-9 tells the story of aliens stranded on Earth (don't worry - plot spoilers aren't my style, so read on). Given that the movie is filmed documentary style and had a relatively low ($30 million) budget, you might expect the casting and special effects to come across as cheesy. Not at all. Everyone and everything about this movie is quite convincing. The special effects are solid and even the plot line, as told, seems amazingly believable.
The lead character is played by Sharlto Copley. Don't recognize that name? You're not one of the eleven people who saw the 2005 blockbuster Alive in Joburg?! Regardless of his relative inexperience, Copley is simply fantastic as Wikus Van De Merwe - a nerdy bureaucrat who evolves (literally and figuratively) into a character who showcases all the good and bad that humanity has to offer.
As I've said before, I don't need a movie to have an important social message and I usually go out of my way to avoid such films. Despite the obvious parallels to apartheid and the portrayal of humans as the bad guys (a real stretch, I know), the movie is extremely entertaining and very well done. I absolutely felt as though I got my money's worth from the film.
However, don't get me started on the concession prices...
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