Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Some years ago the aliens came to Earth. It was an exciting time, as one would expect, but as the days dragged on and the giant space craft hovered above the planet with nary a sign of life, the nations took matters into their own hands. What they found inside were refugees, starving and in need of medical attention, and as the public outcry rose up, Earth took them in. Nearly 30 years later the human populace has yet to benefit from technology that can only be activated by alien hands and struggles to understand this insect-like race that seems to be of no great intelligence. Planet Earth has its own band of immigrants, and as you could expect, after the fantasy of first contact has worn off, the people of South Africa who are forced to share their land with these invaders make their message perfectly clear. Aliens … go home.
In a startling dose of reality on film, as it were, the reactions of governments and corporate interloping intertwine, and we quickly see the vested interest in keeping the aliens right where they are. Thus enters Wikus Van De Merwe (Copley), an odd mix of twitchy and false bravado, charged to head up a “relocation” project for the MNU (Multi-National United). Since this company still wishes to keep a watchful eye on their prize specimens while appeasing the African public that have had enough, they launch a massive campaign to move the aliens away from the humans. In the midst of this operation, we learn about Wikus through documentary style footage conveniently shot before the execution of said project and further commentary from friends, family, and colleagues after some great controversy Wikus seems to have stirred up. No word on why we are given this inside look into the first steps of the relocation of these alien beings, but we quickly discover it’s not exactly going to generate fantastic PR. What happens next is an exercise in the extreme levels of human apathy toward creatures they’ve deemed “inferior”. Wikus is a company man through and through, utilizing deceit against the aliens as well as a monstrous decisiveness. Wikus is at once a loyal friend to his human co-workers and a fairly evil yes-man, committing atrocities with an amazing degree of cheerfulness as he goes about his work.
Speaking of the bugs … while there is not one second of doubt towards the “believability factor” of the special effects used in this film, as you would expect from any project Peter Jackson is attached to, I found the aliens fairly uninteresting. This is not to say District 9 is without its WOW moments! Make it through a lengthy sequence with Wikus sort of running about aimlessly, and when the finale kicks in, you’ll find pure sci-fi gold. What’s on tap? Military ordinance vs. alien weaponry including that killer mech suit you see at the end of every commercial. It’s not often we get to see this level of awesome in a film of this nature, so drink in the big budget goodness (until we get to see Avatar I’d suspect). Action fans will be grinning from ear to ear as well. There is NOTHING not to like about this film’s finale, and I’d dare say it’s worth the price of admission alone. For horror fans, be prepared for a return to Peter Jackson’s favorite town … SPLATTERVILLE! I’ll say no more as I’d hate to wreck the moment(s), but suffice to say, nary a wall is left undecorated with human and alien remains alike. Ahhh … good times.
There is no doubt that District 9 is largely a serious, political piece with flashes of Cronenburg and even Ridley Scott, creating a sci-fi tapestry that will be watched for years to come. What little humor is injected is always at someone’s expense (whether human or alien), the type of moment where you say, “Oh, that’s just wrong!” but laugh anyway; and the rest of the time it’s probably just our reaction to good old fashioned gore sprayed across the screen. The film did seem a tad long, but as stated before, making it through slight doldrums brings rich rewards of eye candy the likes of which I haven’t seen in a great long time.
It should also be mentioned that while the political statements are clearly made, they are not heavy-handed and repeated with ridiculous frequency. The message is clear and exists as a mere overtone to the film, which focuses unflinchingly on Wikus, for better or for worse. This is not Star Trek. This is definitely not Starship Troopers. District 9 is a thoroughly original, super realistic, sci-fi-tinted tale of woe; and at the end of the day we have to applaud such originality as loudly as we possibly can.
4 1/2 out of 5
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