District 9 Review
Alien movies are pretty much all the same. Aliens come to Earth, some government agency or another is assigned to deal with them and through one misinterpretation or misunderstanding by either side, all hell breaks loose and everyone starts blasting. Exceptions, of course, being made for all movies made by a young upstart by the name of Spielberg. So it’s hard to get excited about another alien movie. District 9 proves itself to be a different sort of alien movie. Dare I say, a more realistic view on what would happen if aliens were stranded on Earth for 20 years and how we humans would handle it.
In essence, District 9 is part Beauty and the Beast (lacking a Belle) and part Hunchback of Notre Dame. The story starts off 20 years after the creatures’, known as Prawns, ship descends to earth, disabled, stranding them above Johannesburg, South Africa. Reluctant to come out, the world governments fly up and force they way in discovering millions of prawns living in squalor. They are brought to the surface to live in a segregated shanty town and control has been contracted out to Multi-National United, a private company that shows little respect for the prawns and ultimately has a more sinister intent.
At a high level, the movie is about intolerance and ultimately redemption, but it really sneaks those concepts in under your nose amidst some very impressive special effects, explosions and documentary-style cinematography that follows an unlikely anti-hero. The actors are all unknowns, most having only one or two previous credits to their name. The director himself, Neil Blomkamp, comes strictly from a visual effects background, but apparently caught mega-helmer Peter Jackson’s eye after producing a short film on which District 9 is based.
It’s a bit difficult to solidly review the film without revealing plot points because most of the events that take place are crucial to the story as a whole. You’re gonna get your action elements, your sci-fi certainly and your social commentary. It’s good. Not great, but good storytelling that has a very real feeling to it, as if you were watching a PBS special with a runaway budget.
I enjoyed it, I recommend it and I’ll probably pick up the DVD in however many months. District 9 proves that a first time director can make a very good film, given the chance… and a multi-millionaire backer, not unlike a few others I can think of. Keep your eye on Blomkamp.
