Review: District 9

District 9

Dir. Neill Blomkamp (2009)

*****

It starts off as an engaging mockumentary and ends as a finely choreographed action flick, but regardless of how you look at it, District 9 brings a completely new perspective to science fiction and is a masterfully crafted movie that should be pleasing to anyone who can stomach filth and guts. The movie underwent an extensive viral marketing campaign and certainly lived up to its hype. Set in Johannesburg, South Africa in an alternate version of the present world, the film feels more like science reality than science fiction - well, at least for the first half.

This film isn't split into distinct segments, but I consider it to have three "acts." The first is in the style of a documentary, and explores the process of evicting aliens stranded on Earth from a sequestered slum in the center of Johannesburg to another sequestered slum outside the city after complaints by the city's human inhabitants. This segment is clearly the best, presenting a believable world in which not only do humans and aliens coexist, but also one in which it is the aliens being persecuted by the humans and not the other way around. And while the aliens are physically and intellectually superior to humans (what else would you expect?) it is ultimately because of politics, their lack of numbers, and - perhaps most importantly - economic constraints that force them to live in squalor.

Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is leading an effort to deliver eviction notices to District 9's alien inhabitants. However, this is no simple task considering the large presence of the Nigerian gang in the area, who give the aliens food in exchange for their technologically advanced weaponry, along with the fact that the aliens can rip people apart like dolls. Chaos can break out at any moment, but Wikus is committed to his task of not only displacing the aliens but also showing the camera everything he does, without concern over the danger he might be in. If you think about what you're seeing too much, you'd notice that the concept is pretty outrageous. But this mockumentary-style opening makes District 9 feel more real than many movies without aliens. And even though the second half of the movie is closer to a stereotypical sci-fi action movie, it still has the realistic feel because of the way the first half set things up.

I won't say how or when, but in the process of delivering eviction notices and making a documentary, things go very bad for Wikus (and at first unbeknownst to him, for the aliens too). At this point, the documentary style approach is almost completely abandoned, setting up the second and third "acts" of the film, which can make for a legitimate movie in itself.

While the first act sets up the premise of the movie, the second and third acts form the bulk of the plot; though we should keep in mind that District 9's strength is not primarily in its plot, but rather on its style and novelty. Not too much can be said without revealing plot details, but it is much like one of those fugitive-on-the-run flicks (Act 2) combined with extended battles (Act 3), with a heavy dose of extraterrestrial steroids (star-roids?). Still, this segment is light

years away from your average action movie, and though the developed relationship between Wikus and an alien going by the name of Christopher Johnson - not a typo - is borderline sappy, there is still a lot of substance in the plot and even the action.

Take, for example, the role of the Nigerian gang - who are hungry for money and especially power, and are not friendly with anyone. Like I said, this is not simply the humans versus aliens battle that one might have expected before seeing the film. And though Neil Blomkamp - who was originally booked to make a Halo movie before making District 9 instead - makes sure to showcase a full arsenal of future-tech alien weaponry, he doesn't overdo the gimmicks, instead wisely focusing on keeping the movie rolling and the audience unconfused.

District 9 owes its success mostly to the world of "science reality" it creates. One must now wonder how accurate this vision would be if the hypothetical scenario in the movie were to actually happen - if a ship filled with malnourished aliens did actually get stuck in the air above a city like Johannesburg. Would the aliens be forced to live within the walls of a place like District 9? Would humans have hatred for these creatures, even making derogatory terms to describe them ("prawn")? And though the film does eventually change from a truly unique mockumentary into a little bit more of a generic sci-fi action movie, this feeling of "science reality" still sets District 9 apart from anything I've seen.

And to think that this was all created from a budget of $30 million (G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, which opened the week before, had a $175 million budget), makes it all the more impressive.

*****

My Rating: A