District 9 (R)
Mike:
Mike: Tonight I am reviewing District 9, a science fiction movie about aliens that land over South Africa and are subsequently herded into slums while the world figures out what to do with them.
Scott was unable to attend
The first thing I have to say about this movie is “Wow!” People have called this “thinking man’s science fiction”. I agree, but I have to tell you that this does not equate to either talky or boring. This movie is probably not what you think it is. Anyone expecting the standard summer Sci Fi fare like Independence Day is going to be disappointed. On the other hand if you are looking for action, there is plenty of it.
This turns the aliens visit earth genre on its head the way that 28 Days Later did for zombie movies. Like when the Matrix came along and you knew that you were finally seeing something both different and good. This movie was done on a relatively low budget, but it’s better than most big budget blockbusters. The film is done as a documentary after the fact, but it is both tight and tense.
The alien ship appeared not over New York or Paris, but Johannesburg, South Africa. The aliens known by the derogatory term “Prawns” , were sick and dying when they arrived 20 years ago. Not knowing what to do with the prawns, the government segregated them into an area that overtime has become a slum. Years later and still not sure what to do with the aliens that have no drive and no way to return home the conglomerate MNU decides its time to relocate the aliens. Their treatment has obvious parallels to apartheid as well as the treatment of various ethnic groups around the world throughout history. Luckily for the audience this movie is not a heavy handed message movie. It starts out as if going to club you over the head with the similarities and then moves to showing how flawed both humans and aliens are.
District 9 stars an unknown cast of South Africans, but the lead carries the movie. Sharlto Copley plays Wikus Van De Merwe and his character is not who you expect at all. He evolves throughout the movie from bumbling bureaucrat to victim to something else. This movie could easily be called Wikus Has Very Bad Day.
The aliens were created to appear in a way that is repulsive on a very basic level. As ugly as they are, the aliens are surprisingly sympathetic characters. And I don’t mean cute in any E.T. kind of way. The film has nonstop action, but more emotion than you would expect from a summer action film. On the other hand the movie is violent and often gross and will not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you have made it through movies like Starship Troopers with no problems, you should be fine here.
This is Director Neill Blomkamp’s first major movie. As a writer and director I think District 9 is going to put him on the map. Producer Peter Jackson probably saw something in him the way that others did when they put the unknown Jackson in charge of the formidable Lord of the Rings movies. The movie also benefits greatly from Jackson’s WETA special effects shop.
I give this movie a 4 out of 5 overall and a 4.5 for science fiction. This movie has it all, humor, action, emotion, drama, and suspense.
Once you have seen the movie this will make sense, but I am already looking forward to the unplanned sequel “The Return of Christopher Johnson”.
