Movie MarauderDistrict 9
August 24th 2009 01:49
District 9 began its life as a short film titled “Alive in Joburg” directed by Neill Blomkamp and starring its producer Sharlto Copley. Peter Jackson entered the scene when studio politics got in the way of another project Jackson & Blomkamp were working on and Jackson decided to back Blomkamp in adapting “Alive in Joburg” into what would become “District 9”. And let me tell you; this movie is well made, well acted and about as real as a sci-fi can get. Our story begins when we meet Wikus van der Merwe (Copley), the man selected by his father-in-law boss at the private security firm MNU, to relocate the 1.8 million aliens (“shrimps”) from District 9, where they have been living since their arrival on earth, to a new compound 250 km from Johannesburg and away from the human population (yes, this is a direct parallel to the relocation of 60,000 coloured people from District 6 which was declared a whites only area in 1966).
While serving an eviction notice to one of the alien households, Wikus discovers a suspicious black fluid which he accidentally sprays on himself thus initiating a process that will slowly morph him from human to “shrimp”. He becomes a wanted man by his former employer as he now represents the critical genetic link that will enable them to harness the alien weaponry, previously useless to them.
Rather than be dissected for analysis Wikus hides out in District 9 and befriends an alien named Christopher Johnson who promises to restore him to his human form if they can only break into the MNU headquarters and retrieve the black fluid which is actually fuel for their spacecraft. The mission will prove difficult and involve a lot of heavy weaponry and some pretty full on shoot outs.
What I like about this movie is that it’s a Sci-fi but it’s accessible to the general audience, it’s not too out there. We can relate to the issues of segregation, family bonds and misunderstanding other cultures. And there is a message, a reminder firstly that we’re not so different from one another and secondly that communication is vitally important. If the humans had communicated better with the aliens they could have eliminated all their problems by helping the aliens harness the fuel and sending them home – after all, that’s all they both wanted. The irony of it all…
District 9 is knocking the door of being a comedy. Not your typical slap stick humour but more the kind where you get the feeling the director is laughing at himself along with the rest of the human race, including you. Copley’s South African accent is quite endearing as is his general nice guy doing a tough job persona. If you are a fan of Flight of the Concords or the Office, this is the kind of humour will probably hit the mark with you.
It’s refreshing to see movies from outside the US Hollywood scene doing well. I suspect that District 9 is going to surprise a few people and will hopefully do wonders for the South African film industry but it’s up to us to support these independent movies…it can only be a good thing for the future of the film industry.
While serving an eviction notice to one of the alien households, Wikus discovers a suspicious black fluid which he accidentally sprays on himself thus initiating a process that will slowly morph him from human to “shrimp”. He becomes a wanted man by his former employer as he now represents the critical genetic link that will enable them to harness the alien weaponry, previously useless to them.
Rather than be dissected for analysis Wikus hides out in District 9 and befriends an alien named Christopher Johnson who promises to restore him to his human form if they can only break into the MNU headquarters and retrieve the black fluid which is actually fuel for their spacecraft. The mission will prove difficult and involve a lot of heavy weaponry and some pretty full on shoot outs.
What I like about this movie is that it’s a Sci-fi but it’s accessible to the general audience, it’s not too out there. We can relate to the issues of segregation, family bonds and misunderstanding other cultures. And there is a message, a reminder firstly that we’re not so different from one another and secondly that communication is vitally important. If the humans had communicated better with the aliens they could have eliminated all their problems by helping the aliens harness the fuel and sending them home – after all, that’s all they both wanted. The irony of it all…
District 9 is knocking the door of being a comedy. Not your typical slap stick humour but more the kind where you get the feeling the director is laughing at himself along with the rest of the human race, including you. Copley’s South African accent is quite endearing as is his general nice guy doing a tough job persona. If you are a fan of Flight of the Concords or the Office, this is the kind of humour will probably hit the mark with you.
It’s refreshing to see movies from outside the US Hollywood scene doing well. I suspect that District 9 is going to surprise a few people and will hopefully do wonders for the South African film industry but it’s up to us to support these independent movies…it can only be a good thing for the future of the film industry.
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