I saw the trailer for
District 9 earlier in the summer when I took my son to see the latest Harry
Potter movie. When the clip began, I was so excited. I love alien/UFO movies and the ship onscreen reminded me of
Independence Day. I really began to look forward to this one.
When I saw this film, I was of two minds. Neill Blomkamp gave us a truly fascinating, if not scary vision of the future. It seemed a little scattered, but the metaphor for apartheid really made this film not only a sci-fi thriller, but it was thought provoking and made me wonder about humanity on this planet.
The movie is set in Johannesburg, South Africa, where twenty years earlier, an alien spacecraft appeared above the city and just…stopped. People in the area rescued the aliens and took them to a place called “District 9.” This was not a happy place. It turned into something in the neighborhood of a slum, where the creatures were badly mistreated and preyed upon.
Eventually, the aliens are moved by a government agency and ‘Wikus van de Merwe’ is put in charge. He loves his authority and takes glee in destroying alien eggs.
Things take a turn when he finds a
substance created by one of the aliens. Somehow, this mysterious substance transforms him into a human/alien hybrid. He immediately comes to the attention of the government, who wants to use him for a little research. He has no choice but to go to “District 9.”
Wikus and the alien that created the substance, team up and I’m not going to spoil what happens there, but let’s just say there are some very cool effects, including documentary type footage and realistic photography shots. WOW.
The aliens are created out of CGI and are amazing. Some of the problems with them are that there are some questions left unanswered. “Why did they come here?” “What is their plan to get back home?” etc…
The whole story is very interesting and you won’t be bored. Wikus (Sharlto Copley) is really worth seeing. His performance is believable and stunning. You are sucked into his life, where he comes from and where he is going.
I’m not sure exactly what the movie is trying to say about apartheid, or illegal immigration, but, it is a fantastic Sci-Fi film that will appeal to all of us who love anything in the paranormal realm.
I think it’s an impressive debut from a filmmaker that has a very bright future. It’s definitely worth seeing.