Rebecca Barry: Blockbusters are created by the book

Peter Jackson seems to have found a real gem in 'District 9' director Neill Blomkamp. Photo / Mark Mitchell

At a film preview last week, people were literally gasping in the theatre. I can't remember the last time I was at the movies and the audience actually hid behind their hands the gore was so intense, or let out collective cries of 'Whoa!' followed by incredulous laughter in the action scenes.

Possibly 1996 when I almost broke my tooth on a giant Jaffa as a cow hurtled through the air in Twister.

How do you describe a $46 million film with real substance, humour and the visceral effects you'd expect from Transformers, Iron Man and the splatter films of Peter Jackson's early work? There is no other word but awesome.

Without wanting to build it up past the point of no return, District 9 is the kind of movie that will re-ignite belief in escapist, blockbuster Hollywood. It's ironic then, that this Jackson-produced, under-the-radar alien flick by 29-year-old South African film-maker Neill Blomkamp started life as Halo, the action film based on a video game.

When Halo fell over due to studio politics, Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh invited Blomkamp to turn his original short film Alive in Jo'Berg - about a population of extra-terrestrials living in slum-like conditions in Johnannesburg - into a feature film. The result (opening on Friday) draws on the conceptual work Blomkamp had already done, and is far more exciting than Halo could have been because it's original (never mind the Alien Nation sceptics). It doesn't even need an over-exposed film star. The lead is one of the director's mates.

It's a sad sign of the times that, elsewhere, Tinseltown isn't prepared to follow suit - hence the prevalence of sequels, prequels and might-as-well-be-quels, such as GI Joe, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Alien, Resident Evil, The Crow, Sin City, The Thing, Blade and Terminator. With the exception of Slumdog Millionaire, it seems the bigger the budget, the more familiar the story.

"Every time I see a sequel released I feel sad," screenwriter Richard Okie told me recently. "For the price of one Terminator 3, 4 or 5 you could make six to eight really cool, original indie movies."

I'd be quite happy to save my money for those but you do crave a big blockbuster once in a while, the kind of movie that rattles your organs and turns your eyes to saucers, just like when you were a kid.

Which possibly explains the upcoming 2012, a crash-and-burn armageddon flick originally written by the ancient Mayans. Presumably the DVD, which comes with a free car, comes out in 2013.

Then there's Wolverine, which comes with an instant X-Men fan club yet is its own beast; Coraline, a stop-motion film that looks surreal and is based on Neil Gaiman's 2002 novel; and my pick for 2009, Glycerine, the story of a 90s pop hit woefully lacking in drums.

Well, I made that last one up but surely there's an 80s pop revival in the offing. Didn't they forget to make Jem and the Holograms? There are a lot of chicks out there who don't like video games but love playing Rock Band on the PS3 - an instant tie-in. Lindsay Lohan could play Jerrica, Gwen Stefani could do the soundtrack (a two-for-one Gwen and Gav deal), I could go back to touching my earring and saying "Show's over Synergy". Everyone's a winner.

Of course, there's a reason they make these films. The world is gagging for Tim Burton's cinematic interpretation of Alice in Wonderland. Guillermo del Toro is making Jackson's - er, sorry, Tolkien's The Hobbit, which is bound to be intoxicating on screen.

Even our most treasured Kiwi film-makers are relying on material that has proved itself in book form. In the blockbuster camp you'll really only find Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, his dramatic take on Alice Sebold's best-selling novel, his remake of war epic The Dam Busters and Tintin. Elsewhere, Andrew Adamson has just signed on to direct Lloyd Jones' novel Mister Pip, which was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize.

Jane Campion's latest film Bright Star was based on the short life of poet John Keats. Niki Caro has finally finished her adaptation of Elizabeth Knox's novel The Vintner's Luck.

All of the above are huge creative talents whose work deserves attention. But it's becoming a rare privilege to see a completely new story on the big screen, with a bit of moola behind it. Jackson seems to have found a real gem in Blomkamp, because his protege has shown a talent for spawning fresh ideas as well as making them come to life.

And like a good sport, he's paved the way for a District 10.