Movie Review: District 9

22Aug09

I can’t do a summary of  District 9 without ruining it. Don’t worry, there aren’t any deus ex machina twists involved, but it does need to be seen. This is a movie that just cannot be summed up properly in words, it has to be absorbed visually.

I will, however, tell you the basics: It’s based off a short film called Alive In Joburg (directed by the same director, Neill Blomkamp), which you can watch here. Basically, an alien mothership is hovering above Johannesburg, South Africa and the alien inhabitants are now living in District 9, a slum. The film draws it’s inspiration from the directors youth, growing up during apartheid and observing the overt and violent racism of the time. And there is no shortage of racism in this film: the alien race (derogatory called “prawns”) are subjected to decrepit conditions, violence, and open discrimination. They are forced to trade their powerful weapons for cans of cat food and stand by helplessly as their “illegal” clutch of offspring are aborted “for their own good.” It’s a disheartening but objective truth: this is what humans would do to aliens if the scenario were true. It makes me sad for the state of mankind.

I liked this movie not just for it’s subtext, but for it’s ability to cast unknowns. I did not recognize a single actor, therefore I didn’t judge them based on their past work. I know that’s unfair to a lot of prolific actors, but there is only so many times I can see an actor – say, Tom Cruise – before I think, “Oh look, there’s [famous actor's most famous role] trying to play someone new.” New blood in movies is always nice. =P

The last 25 minutes of this film are the most intense that I’ve seen in a long while. And I can’t give any of that away!

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Tags: District 9, sf