Liked it
District Nine
A review of the hard science fiction film that pulls no punches.
Thanks to a truly dreadful advertising campaign of unimpressive trailers and frankly stupid cardboard cut-outs, I ignored District 9 on its cinema release, convinced it would be yet another effects-heavy, low sci-fi action flick. By the time rave reviews started pouring in, it had already slunk from my local multiplex leaving me impatiently awaiting its dvd release. Now that I have seen it, I’m rather embarrassed to have written it off so easily, for District 9 is far from being just another sci-fi film.
Image via Wikipedia
A bleak, misanthropic political satire with masterful direction and performances supplemented by stunning CGI, it stands as one of the most original and affecting films of 2009. Shot in a cinema verite style, which is admittedly not to my taste but thankfully slips in and out of the film throughout, and documenting relations between humans and an oppressed extra-terrestrial community in a slum in South Africa, an explicit allegory for the apartheid regime, it follows the misadventures of an ordinary civil servant, a mesmerising turn from newcomer Sharlto Copley, whose view of the aliens is challenged after an accident forces him to go on the run. Every detail is perfect; from the bored interviewee examining the back of his hand, to the looming but decrepit spaceship hovering over Johannesburg, right down to the uncomfortable wording of news reports. Though there are moments when the film seems to slip a little, its pitch-black humour often threatens to overpower and showy action sequences in the latter third weaken some of its impact, but the political drive ensures it never quite loses focus.
It’s the allegorical aspect that makes this truly extraordinary: central themes of xenophobia, forced eviction and the dangers posed by multinational corporations are treated with cold, brutal clarity. Writer and director Neill Blomkamp, who grew up in apartheid Johannesburg himself, never shies away from the most uncomfortable aspects of racism; the aliens, derogatively known as “prawns” with no attempts made on the humans’ part to discover what they call themselves, are left in squalor by authorities only interested in their technology, allowing gangs of Nigerian arms-dealers to exploit them further. There is a nasty hint of actual racism in the portrayal of the Nigerians, but I think that should be allowed to slide considering that most of the film is shown from the white authorities’ perspective.
It’s brutal, worryingly realistic and genuinely disturbing but not without a vein of dark humour and some fun moments that pay homage to the emergence of “body horror” in the 80s, complete with a fingernail-peeling sequence straight out of Cronenburg’s The Fly. However, it isn’t perfect. As already mentioned, the action-heavy latter segments are underwhelming, with the emphasis on ridiculous videogame-style guns rather than anything more substantial, and the ending, though thought-provoking and enigmatic, will be a little too open-ended for some tastes. Still, the main thrust of the film is incredible; stark and shocking, it presents a thoughtful but merciless view of humanity that is so rarely seen in a mainstream movie. This was Blomkamp’s first full length film and it’s quite an achievement.
6 Comments
Nice write…
Good review, i have yet to see the film.
good review.
Great review! I haven’t had a chance to see it yet.
To be honest, I don’t find District 9 to be that great. It’s a good movie and worth watching but I think it’s overrated. What I hate about this movie is its documentary shaky-camera style which almost make me puke and the bad accent of the main character. Also, there are numbers of scenes that has unnecessary length such as those interview scenes.
And the worst of all is the lack of explanation in this movie. For example, how is that possible they can’t fight back when they have such sophisticated weapon, how can Wikus or other humans understand what they’re saying, how can those Nigerians come and rule the place when the US Goverment said no-one may live in the District; USA fears the Nigerian? I don’t think so. And finally, where were those ‘prawns’ heading before their Ship’s command fraction ‘mysteriously’ lost. Absolutely no explanation but still it’s quite entertaining to see the scene where Wikus fight in a robot.
Overall, I would rate it 4 out of 10 and I’d say the movie become exciting after about 40 minutes. I know you and most other people wouldn’t agree with me but that’s just how my movie taste like.
Well-written review by the way!
I think you’re rather missing the point there Avaxier. The “shaky camera” is part of the cinema verite style, as I said, not my cup of tea but it’s not inherrently bad, and the interview scenes are part of that too; they help to build up a sense of who these people are and what the situation is. Wikus’ accent isn’t “bad” that’s how South Africans talk. The Nigerians aren’t “allowed” to live in District 9 but slip in and out to sell weapons, I imagine they would move back whenever they’re moved on, much as real gangs do.
As for not explaining where the ship is going, that’s part of the point. The humans make no effort to find out anything about the aliens and that’s part of the tragedy of the film; that lack of communication. Why the aliens don’t fight back I don’t know, but the implication is that they are not violent. Christopher Johnson (the alien that aids Wikus) only agrees to actively fight the humans after seeing the experiments the humans were doing on his people. Most of the other aliens, like most addicts, don’t seem to care as long as they have access to cat food.
I’m not saying the film is perfect, but the “flaws” you point out are actually integral parts of the power of the film, in my opinion, and in fact the robot fighting scene is, to my mind, one of the least impressive, reducing the end of the film to a mediocre action movie where the rest was an intelligent political satire.