Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, David James & Jason Cope
Finding life from the ashes of the since aborted Halo movie that Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) had intended to produce with Blomkamp directing, Jackson instead turned to Blomkamp to expand upon a short film Blomkamp had directed about aliens in Johannesburg into a feature length film. The result is District 9 which is an impressive, low budget (compared to Hollywood blockbusters) Sci-Fi/Action film that feels original and manages to work political and social commentary into its plotline. More entertaining and satisfying than any of Hollywood’s blockbuster films in 2009, District 9 highlights Blomkamp as a new talent to watch.
When a huge alien spaceship arrives at Earth and stops over the city of Johannesburg, remaining stationary and inactive for several weeks, humans attempt to board the ship to find thousands of starving alien refugees seeking food and shelter. Initially housed in a camp outside of Johannesburg with an alien population continuously growing and ripe with the problems of crime and poverty, the camp known as District 9 is fenced off whilst human officials process their claims for asylum and support on Earth and while corporations try to access and exploit the alien technology left behind. When an attempt to re-house the alien population, 20 years later, against their will to a larger camp further away from Johannesburg after the indigenous human population’s complaints, an official, Wikus van der Merwe (Copley) is infected by an alien chemical resulting in physical mutations and trapping him between a corporation that seeks to exploit his changes for financial gain, local warlords exploiting District 9 and some of the aliens themselves who were developing the chemical for, as yet, unknown reasons.
Mixing many different concepts and styles, District 9 is impressive not only as an action and Sci-Fi film but also on the level of sub-text and in the film’s execution. Locating the events of the film over Blomkamp’s former hometown of Johannesburg immediately provokes thoughts and comparisons to apartheid which had just been abolished in the region prior to the period where District 9’s story begins however, the film’s attitudes to the way the humans treat the alien population are not only limited to comparisons with apartheid but also with present day issues regard immigration and asylum seeking populations around the globe. With many nations currently housing illegal immigrants in camps reminiscent to what is seen in District 9 and in acknowledging the realities of poverty and crime within such areas as well as reactions both negative and sympathetic to such immigrants, District 9 includes the very best traditions of Sci-Fi as social and political allegory. With many of its character’s deeply flawed including its ‘hero’ Wikus who is frequently self-serving and casually racist in regards to the aliens that are nicknamed “prawns” based on their appearance, his character feels quite relatable because he does not fit the usual mould in which heroic leads adhere which also helped by the decision to cast the entire films with unknown actors. The special effects are likewise impressive with the handheld camera style of cinematography giving the film a gritty, in-the-moment, feeling that assists in smoothing out any weaknesses in the effects with those effects feeling less glossy and more integrated alongside the film’s live-action elements. The action sequences are also impressive and highlight an influence of 1980s Sci-Fi cinema in District 9 whether it be the Cronenberg-style body horror of Wikus’ transformation or the Verhoven level violence during several fast-paced and exciting action set-pieces in the film’s second half.
Sharlto Copley, a new actor and friend of Blomkamp, puts in a strong performance as the film’s main character Wikus making the character’s various emotional responses to his situation believable whilst also managing to make his character sympathetic despite his many flaws. The remaining human roles are largely stereotypes; the grim, no holds barred soldier out to kill any aliens he can and bring Wikus back dead or alive or the various greed-driven corporate leaders out to exploit the aliens and Wikus including Wikus’ boss and father-in-law. The alien characters are quite impressive though. The main alien character named Chris is a convincing mix of CGI mixed with the motion-capture of Jason Cope who, while non-speaking, gives the character natural-feeling body language much like Andy Serkis performed for the role of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
While featuring some underwritten supporting characters, District 9 more than excels in other areas with an enjoyable plot including an impressive amount of social and political commentary, excellent special effects, several blistering action-sequences and a strong central performance of newcomer Sharlto Copley. Director Neill Blomkamp has delivered a very exciting and fresh feeling piece of Action and Sci-Fi cinema. Excellent.
Rating: 4/5
