Release Date: August 14th, 2009
Studio: WingNut /
QED International / TriStar
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Rated: R      1 hr 52 mins

CAST:

Sharlto Copely: Wilkus Van
                             De Mewre
William Allen Young: Dirk
                                       Michaels
Jason Cope: Grey Bradmen
Robert Hobbs: Ross Pienaar

With countless films about alien invasions and abductions, it seems about time for one about alien cohabitation. District 9 breaks the mold of the typical extraterrestrial Cineplex fare and enters a new creative realm by simply being an original encounter.

For the past 20 years, Johannesburg South Africa has had a Mothership hovering above the city.  A deathly and malnourished horde of aliens were freed from the ship and placed in a camp known as District 9.  These bug-like creepy critters, known to the humans as "Prawns," live in a government camp of squalor. They pick through trash piles, eat rubber and cat food, irritate the public and sell their inactive weaponry to Nigerian warlords. Tired of the continual issues, the Multi-National United (MNU) has been given the task to evict the Prawns from their shacks and relocate them to a brand new tent city called District 10, conveniently located several miles from the city. Using military might and little diplomacy, an axious and unqualified Wilkus Van De Mewre (Sharlto Copely) enters District 9 and starts handing out eviction notices.  Things go moderately well with very little violence until Wilkus gets some alien home-chemistry gunk splashed into his face. Things soon deteriorate and Wilkus collides with MNU thugs, the MNU corporate fiends and their heartless scientists, an unsympathetic public, drug lords, voodoo priestess and even cranky Prawns in attempt to normalize his life.  But to do this has to align with awful-looking yet family-centered alien called Christopher and his fellow Prawns of District 9.

With elements of Alien Nation and a pretty big nod to Cronenberg's The Fly in spots, District 9 injects plenty of current societal fears and the horrors of the apartheid to hit a gory, violent and even campy home run. The film relies heavily on the documentary style for exposition and moments of humor. However the bulk of the film follows Wilkus, who is simply marvelous. While never approaching action hero status, his selfish and selfless character isn't so much riddled with flaws as he is just isn't cut out for this predicament.  The corporate leaders and scientists are pretty typical and the drug lords add extra tension. Given the appalling nature of the humans and the horrors of the slum life, these gnarly yet rather harmless aliens have the audience rooting for more humans to be turned into pink mist.

Those expecting another Independence Day or Starship Troopers will be disappointed but there is plenty of violence and gore to satisfy the intended audience. Director Neill Blomkamp makes his debut a memorable film as the subtext echoes current and past human struggles but doesn’t let the message attack the audience. Producer and genre hero Peter Jackson gave Blomkamp the opportunity after Halo fell through. Slated to direct the video game adaption, Blomkamp and Jackson fast-tracked District 9 as the producer felt he still owed the budding director a debut opportunity. Jackson's faith in Blomkamp was warranted as the film is a quirky, early Jackson-styled oddity with the only flaw being that the second act gets a bit soggy in parts and some of the violence is a bit forced. But instead of a hyper-violent space opera or a full blown alien versus Marine assault, we have aliens who have not contributed to society. Instead they leech from it and the Sci-Fi utopia of alien cohabitation doesn't apply here. Nor are the Prawns a threat to humanity. It clearly was their misfortune to arrive here. District 9 nicely plays against genre expectations.

District 9 will definitely appeal to the quirky, indie film buffs and prove to be a cult hit. Mainstream audiences probably won't comprehend this film and be bored by lack of endless explosions as the pre-release trailers are a bit misleading. Those looking for a challenging genre picture will chew this up faster than the Prawns can down a can of cat food.

District 9

August 15, 2009

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

DIRECTOR:

Neill Blomkamp

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