I won’t bother you too much with this one because I want you to watch it as soon as possible. District 9 is probably one of the best alien invasion movies I have ever seen and it’s definitely worth watching. It features not only realistic and stunning special effects, and creative alien design but also a thought-provoking story. Finally, the aliens did not land in New York or Los Angeles but they’re hovering over Johannesburg, South Africa. And so begins a new chapter in the history of humankind. A new chapter that’s soon going to start resembling the old ones.
District 9 is a movie that takes the basic alien invasion premise and loads it up with social commentary. The social commentary that doesn’t feel forced or heavy-handed but natural and intelligent. However, that’s just a part of the complex structure that makes up this movie. This is also a mockumentary, an action movie, and even a comedy at times. Something that’s utterly baffling when you consider the fact that this is Neill Blomkamp’s first movie. I’m certain that he has a bright future and that we’ll be seeing much more of him in the coming years.
He used his experiences while growing up in Joburg to create a compelling narrative rarely seen in big movies. We must remember that the apartheid came to an end relatively recently, back in 1991, so the memories of that terrible regime are still very much alive. Without any big names, most of the $30 million budget went toward production values and special effects. The result is one of the slickest and most visually impressive science fiction movies of the year. I especially liked that huge ship ominously hovering over the city.
It’s almost poetic even, representing our repressed consciousness and morality we pushed into thin air to grab more power and money for the elites. We also should forget about the military industrial complex as it’s an integral part of the story. Despite all of this social commentary and everything else, District 9 works great just as a classic action science fiction movie. You don’t have to think about any of this in order to enjoy it. And on top of it all, we have the pervasive body horror elements reminiscent of some of Cronenberg’s best work. This is actually a personal journey of one man who’s trying to do what he thinks he should do. A classic human story repeated throughout centuries.
They’re here, they’re finally here! It is the year of our Lord Cthulhu 1982 and we finally have confirmation that we’re not alone in the universe. A giant alien spaceship appeared over the city of Johannesburg and it was just sitting there, ominously. Soon, a bunch of aliens emerges from it and they appear to be friendly. They want to become a part of the human story and so the government decides to build a special district just for them, District 9. Twenty years later and things have significantly changed as Wikus van de Merwe is soon about to tell us.
It would appear that I have my new favorite actor and his name is Sharlto Copley. His performance in District 9 was nothing short of stellar along with the rest of the cast. His accent was just adorable and his mannerism natural. All of this made the movie feel more realistic and intense. Aliens, spaceships, strange mutations, and other weird elements were given a human focal point, and his name was Wikus. I could go on and on about how great this movie is but I think it’s better if I stop here. Just check out District 9, it won’t disappoint you.
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, John Sumner, William Allen Young
Fun Facts: Most of the dead cows and other animals you can see in the background are real and were in very real neighborhoods production used during filming.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
