COMIC-CON: Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp unveil ‘District 9’ to eager first audience

Last night Peter Jackson showed up at the Horton Plaza United Artists theater a few blocks north of the convention center with protege Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley in tow.  The occasion: the first ever screening of Blomkamp’s “District 9,” a sci-fi installment that finds itself in the midst of a heavy “what the heck is it?” campaign right now that hopes to drum up anticipation for the August 14 release (and will no doubt see a spike in that once the web press finds time to sit at their laptops and hammer out reactions).

I didn’t really know what to expect.  I haven’t follwed the viral on this to the letter like so many and I really just thought it would be a nifty diversion during the Con if nothing else.  But it was so much more.  The film, which I won’t even discuss plot-wise, isn’t a watershed moment for sci-fi cinema by any means, so don’t let me over state.

What it is, however, is a dedicated, small piece of character-driven genre, much like Duncan Jones’s “Moon” in that way, that was smartly nurtured by Jackson.  It also has plenty of seat-leaping action moments to go around, but at it’s heart, it is a near one-man show from actor Sharlto Copley, a fresh young talent who, quite frankly, stunned the hell out of me with his control of a character that is quite complicated in some ways.

The journey of Copley’s character shouldn’t even be hinted at (and indeed, Blomkamp, Jackson and the actor were clearly nervous about spoilers leaking out on this film in the pre-screening introduction).  But I will say that his arc represents the best of what sci-fi can offer, the intriguing path to compassion and humanity through the most unexpected means.  And he nails that complicated idea, while the haunting final image of the film sells the idea fully.

I imagine other people in this business, those much smarter than me (or those who at least SHOULD be much smarter than me) will have a similar reaction to the performance and take note.  But just in case they don’t, allow me to shout it to the rafters from here: this guy is a star in the making. Find the right vehicle for him and FAST.

I haven’t been so excited by a new actor since Eric Bana leaped onto the scene in 2000’s “Chopper.”  Hopefully Copley will make wiser decisions than Bana, but lacking those classic pretty boy looks, maybe he won’t be confronting the same choices.  Whatever the case, his work in “District 9” is cause for celebration within an impressive and thoughtful film.  You can’t ask for much more than that.

By the way, the vibe I got from the crowd (largely web press folks with plenty of lucky Con attendees) was pretty much unanimous: a knock-out.  The exciting climax elicited multiple audible reactions.  Sony knew what it was doing showing this film here.  I expect the word to get out fast, and if not in time for a major box office haul in a few weeks’ time (I don’t believe a platform release is planned), then certainly audiences the world over will discover it on home video.  It’s a word-of-mouth movie if there ever was one.

Jackson and the guys will be back today for the Sony panel discussion on “District 9,” which happens at 3:45 in Hall H.