District 9: MUST SEE!

On a related note, I will never see AVATAR in theaters. Visual effects are great, as long as they're only the for the purpose of augmenting a strong story. Well, according to Joe the story in Avatar sucks (Joe is my brother). His opinion gains even more oomph when you consider it in conjunction with the poor reviews the movie has gotten and actually watch the awful clips that have been released.
I won't just skip Avatar. Rather, I'll resent Avatar for stealing the spotlight from other "revolutionary" movies, such as District 9. Ever heard of it? Maybe? If you had, your perception of it is probably similar to Alex's when he referred to it, which is that District 9 was a Transformers rip off. After seeing the movie, Alex isn't saying that anymore.
In fact, Alex is raving about the movie. THat's high praise from a guy who usually sticks to comedies and has no problem just sleeping through movies that don't hold his attention.
Hopefully that recommendation will be enough to motivate you to view this movie. If not, I will also offer some disjointed thoughts about DISTRICT 9.
District 9 is filmed in the documentary style that has become all the rage lately. The movie works this element seamlessly, utilizing the effect at the beginning and end to set the scene and offer closure. It also adds a layer of realism to a film that becomes shockingly plausible.
The plot of the movie is relatively simple. In a world where aliens live in a refugee settlement in South Africa, one low level administrator gets an infection that begins turning him into one of the aliens. What then happens is a morality story, layered with references to apartheid and a critique of corporate greed. You end up getting a high-end trippy film with stunning visual aspects and a constant flow of surprises.
The film's star was completely unknown before this movie, with his only other credit being a sniper role in some movie. Now the guy will be in the upcoming A-Team movie. His name is Sharlto Copley and he is simply awesome. His character undergoes a transformation that is shocking when you consider his demeanor from start to finish. This is obvious since he goes from mindless drone in this movie to big time action star in the A-Team.
I don't want to say more about the movie because uncovering the plot is half the fun. This movie really is an event. It's a ride. Honestly, find a nice big tv and some friends to watch this movie with, and you won't be disappointed.