Peter Jackson's latest production, District 9, has an ingenious -- yet not well marketed -- viral website. The site's so complex and realistic that you can easily spend more than an hour watching videos and exploring the background content for what is shaping up to be the surprise hit of the summer.
Directed by Neill Blomkamp, known primarily for his short films and commercials that blend hand-held camera footage with photo-realistic computer-generated imagery, District 9 is based on Blomkamp's short film, Alive in Joburg. It tells the tale of alien refugees who land in Africa and are subsequently forced into slavery. When the aliens try to escape, the Multi-National United (MNU) corporation steps in to handle the situation.
Blomkamp, already a cult favorite thanks to his Halo shorts, began working as a professional animator at 16 and is expected to deliver a tense thriller with incredible effects.