Aside from the poster displaying a huge alien mother ship hovering over some metropolitan city, I had little idea what to expect. The surprise proved fun.

Opening in near mocumentary, the lead actor endears with an infectiously disarming Dutch accent through childlike smiles. It’s a nervous humor, oddly Monty Python-esque (who would have thought), reminded me a bit of an internet “Stormtrooper” spoof on TV’s “Cops.”

Soon enough, the interviews drop off and the real drama unfolds, despite the huge “space craft” ever present, 98% of the action happens on the ground, with a stark, “Mad Max” gritty look.

Implausibilities abounding, I still couldn't help but want to believe, because the main actor so believed everything. Sharlto Copley sells it to us with grit, charm, naivety, and humor. He’s absolutely brilliant and the film's a lot of fun. (See ya in 3 years.)

“Neill Blomkamp is a terrifically exciting young director,” says producer Peter Jackson, who shepherds Blomkamp’s debut feature film, DISTRICT 9. “We were considering a production of HALO, based on the video game. That movie never happened, but we loved working with Neill so much that when he pitched us DISTRICT 9, we decided it would be fun to turn his idea into a feature film.”

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --