Review: District 9

The concepts of alien invasion and social prejudice are hardly novel ideas when it comes to film (or any form of storytelling for that matter). From Richard Wright to Steven Spielberg, authors and filmmakers have explored the unknown and the fear it creates among members of the human race. The media shows us the prevalence of these fears every day - instances of racism and discrimination, differences in social class and ethnicity, all cause people to act out in fear and panic in order to protect themselves from some perceived threat. Neill Blomkamp's feature-length debut holds a mirror up to society - as any good film should - and makes the audience question exactly what we are afraid of.

"District 9" takes place in a fictionalized Johannesburg, South Africa, that, as is revealed in documentary-style footage and interviews at the beginning of the film, has spent the last 28 years dealing with the over 2 million inhabitants of an alien civilization whose mother ship came to a standstill over the center of the city in the early 1980's. Upon discovering that the creatures on the ship were malnourished and in overall poor health, South African authorities elected to cordon off a section of Johannesburg and effectively create an alien slum in the middle of the country's capital. After this background information is given, the present-day action picks up as we follow Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an employee of Multi-National United, the weapons-manufacturing corporation that is also responsible for overseeing the alien population. Wikus has just been put in charge of the massive relocation of the aliens (derisively called Prawns by the humans in the film) to another slum far outside the city. During the initial phase of the relocation, Wikus stumbles upon the key to unlocking the alien technology and consequently becomes a fugitive from his former employer, forcing him to rely on one of the Prawns (given the human name Christopher Johnson in a move reminiscent of the Americanization of European names at Ellis Island) to save himself and, possibly, the alien species as well.

What makes "District 9" different from so many of the science-fiction movies out there is that it holds itself to a higher standard. It doesn't follow the "alien invasion formula" - threatening creatures, deadly weapons, hero must find the way to save the world, saves the world - but has a broader, more applicable message to send (and just so happens to use the relationship between humans and aliens as a paradigm). It addresses issues of xenophobia, immigration, fear, and social turmoil (made all the more powerful because it takes place in South Africa), and magnifies them all because of the extreme nature of the situation - we're shown an impossible world (aliens? seriously?) that has all of the problems and more of our real, very possible world.

"District 9" breaks down all the limitations of its genre to give the audience a deep, thought-provoking, important film. It accomplishes what few films can: it has all of the essentials of a sci-fi movie - aliens, futuristic weaponry, a big action set-piece, and phenomenal special effects - while simultaneously elevating the material to the level of true social commentary. It is a welcome change from the science fiction drivel we've all become accustomed to (I'm looking at you, Michael Bay), and an experience that will keep you thinking long after you leave the theater.

Rating: 5/5