SF at the movies - September 09

It's getting late, but I've had a few other posts to churn out so I hope you don't mind this post turning up now - at least it's in the right month for a change!!

Anyway - here's what's on your geeky big screens this month

District 9

Released 4/9/09














The 'one to see' undoubtedly. District 9 introduces fresh director Neil Blomkamp, once slated for the Halo movie, with his original masterpiece. The story mixes up a documentary style to begin with, gradually building into a full on action thriller. In the story an unknown alien race, dubbed 'Prawns', arrive on Earth in a damaged spaceship above Johannesburg. The authorities quickly establish 'District 9' a housing settlement to keep the aliens away from the general population. But District 9 hold a lot of secrets and as a special agent travels into district 9 and comes into close contact with the aliens he travels down a dangerous journey and finds more answers than he was looking for.

Gamer

Released 16/09/09












An interesting concept this one - a near future where video game players can experience the ultimate thrill, controling and playing with a real human being in an ultra-violent shoot 'em up. The characters in this new game are all death row convicts, so their loss won't exactly be mourned - but they play for the chance to win the ultimate prize - freedom. If you think you've heard it before it's because you have, it's not a new plot line, but it is being done in a somewhat original manner. The hero is a 'character' who wants to get out of the game to be reunited with his family. There are meant to be extreme violence and sex references in this film, intriguing as a way of exploring how deep we will go for the ultimate thrill, but making it not quite my cup of tea.

Surrogates

Released 25/9/09








Again an interesting concept, running on similar lines to Gamer in the 'what will we do to ourselves in the future' kind of thing. In this world, most humans plug into robotic 'surrogates' to live out their lives, leaving them free of disease, the danger of accidents and able to pursue any lifestyle they want without harm. When a successful homicide occurs, the first one in years, a detective must unravel the secrets behind surrogacy to find how it happened and unravel a bigger mystery as he does so. I'm not completely convinced, but I am intrigued.

OK that's it, I'm not sure if 'Whiteout' has Sci-Fi elements to it, but it may be worth a watch - more movies soon