DISTRICT 9

Key Creatives
112 min., dir. by Neill Blomkamp with Sharlto Copley, William Allen Young, and Vanessa Haywood

According to the film’s trailer, “There are many secrets in District 9.” But what’s not a secret is that this movie is the must-see hit of the summer, with both critics and audiences agreeing that District 9 is a science fiction success.

District 9 is one of those movies that make you wonder why it wasn’t made years ago. Acting as a speculation of how our world would treat extra terrestrial immigrants, the filmmakers needed only to reflect how the nations of our planet have exploited unfortunate foreigners all throughout history. In fact, transform the term “illegal alien” to its most literal translation and you have the intriguing premise behind District 9.

Therefore, one might assume the movie to be a two-hour preach fest loaded with nonstop mouthfuls of force-fed social commentary. But while it doesn’t take much for a viewer to note the points the film is trying to make, District 9 restrains from overloading its audience with moral messages. Instead, the movie allows the story to speak for itself, never sacrificing pure entertainment to make room for superficial insight inserted here and there like we often see in so many other films that try to “say” something.

Interestingly, the best quality of District 9 could also be interpreted as its greatest flaw; that being its attempt to appeal to fans of various differing genres. A raw feeling of realism saturates this entire film from beginning to end with its use of real-to-life politics. However, District 9 also has more than its fair share of escapist moments when we’re treated to some of the coolest alien technology ever portrayed in cinema. In fact, it would not be completely unfair to accuse this film of having an identity crisis, as it moves from thought-provoking mockumentary, to Cronenberg-esque horror, to shoot’em up action before the final credits roll. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if some viewers enjoyed parts of the movie while disliking others. But if all of these types of films appeal to you (as they do to me), then consider District 9 a buffet of cinematic delights.

And if that’s not enough to convince you to make a visit to your local theater, District 9 also introduces us to a new acting force which audiences have never seen before. His name is Sharlto Copley, who plays the film’s main character, Wikus Van De Merwe. It is not solely due to Copley’s previously unrecognizable face that we believe this movie to be Wikus’s true story. Copley, who’s in almost every minute of the movie, is so impressive in his realistic portrayal of an ignorant man learning the truth, that not even ray guns and space craft can distract the audience from his performance. Ironically, Copley’s work is so notable that it magnifies the shortcomings of some other underdeveloped, two-dimensional characters, not the least being the film’s main antagonist: a trigger-happy, gung ho mercenary who refuses to die.

Despite a few weak moments in the plot (referring to characters committing uncharacteristic actions just to move the story along), District 9 may very well be the best science fiction film of the new millennium. Its intriguing characters, reality-based issues, and kick ass special effects all combine to make the announcement: Neill Blomkamp has landed and this is sure to be his first success of many. Although it’s cool that Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson recognized the great potential this film had and contributed as a producer, I now find it kind of amusing how much District 9’s marketing team used his name to sell theater tickets. Unlike so many flops that use established celebrities to garner whatever attention they can get, this film needs not benefit from a presenter. District 9 stands on its own two feet, whether they be human or alien.