District 9
Amazing.
I walked into District 9 not knowing exactly what to expect. Most of the trailers and promotional material were teaser-ish in nature and all I knew is that it was about a group of aliens in South Africa.
The premise is that a large spaceship stopped one day over Johannesburg. After a couple of months, the military forcibly entered the ship to find its alien inhabitants malnourished and dying. The government set up camps for the aliens to live in while they recuperated. After 20 years, though, the camps became slums and the aliens found themselves being misunderstood and mistreated by those who originally wanted to help them.
A company called Multinational United (MNU) took charge of District 9 and decided to relocate the 1.8 million aliens into District 10. During the evictions, there is much confrontation between MNU and the alien group. This confrontation also extends to the Nigerians, who’ve set up within District 9 in an attempt to get weapons and alien technology. This seems pointless, since only the aliens are able to make their technology work since it is integrated into their DNA.
So, all that’s going down when our leading man Wikus accidentally gets sprayed in the face with some alien jet fuel. This begins the transformation of Wikus into an alien and basically is the catalyst to the plot.
I really really enjoyed this film. It’s a great mix of comedy, special effects, violence and story telling that is compelling and fun to watch.
As far as violence goes, it’s frickin sweet. The alien guns that shoot out lightning bolts and make people explode are about as cool as they get. Honestly, it never got old watching people blow up.
The storyline is incredible. A great use of the aliens as the plot device, when the social subtext goes way deeper. Implications of government control, segregation and discrimination run deep in District 9, fitting as it takes place in South Africa. The aliens are strange in looks and behavior, but you are given their perspective and see their intelligence and their personality. This isn’t just another space alien movie in which the aliens run amok and the humans have to wipe them out. These aliens are people, too. Well, not really, but you get the point.
The alien child is one part of the story that needs to be pointed out. You feel for him and his situation. I thought it was great how they had the part in which the alien father refuses to be evicted, but then MNU threatens to take his child away from him in an attempt to intimidate him into submission. The child was a dangerous move, because it could have easily gotten cheesy and felt like Anakin Skywalker, but it didn’t and worked well.
Lastly, I need to discuss the special effects. Peter Jackson’s team at Weta Digital better had win some awards for this one, because it was money. Honestly, to date, the best CG integration to film that I’ve witnessed. There are so many scenes that you completely forget you are watching CG. Then, when you do remember, you continually tell yourself that they have to be practical puppet effects, because they are that good. This film set a new standard for what computer graphics in movies need to be. Perfectly tracked and lit and the detail is incredible.
Go out and watch District 9. Even if you don’t like sci-fi, look deeper into the film. Enjoy this one and see it in the theatre while you can.
