Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Alien Movie~ District 9



 Well I'm by no means an expert on alien movies. Honestly, I believe the only ones I've watched are the original Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3. (And I love them very much) Those aside, I'm not normally one for movies with the extraterrestrial and normally prefer more supernatural elements. However, District 9 has quickly become one of my favorite movies.

It's a South African production on a modest budget and featuring an unknown cast. The CGI is extraordinarily good though, and I love the fact that we aren't staring at familiar faces on the screen. The movie is influenced by acts that took place during the Apartheid and focuses on segregation and xenophobia. The beginning is styled a bit like a mockumentary, but don't let that throw you off. It's cleverly done to show the attitude of the people against the creatures.

In many alien movies it's the aliens that are the enemy. Here it's reversed. The morality and prejudice of the humans against the aliens is the real problem. When the ship first appeared people were caught up in the excitement of the visitors. However after the novelty wore off, the aliens (who are essentially workers. Apparently the 'intelligent' ones have died) are placed in a ghetto called District 9 where they live in horrendous conditions. The people harbor mostly contempt and hate towards the aliens and refer to them as "prawns".

An Alien.

A prawn. Yeah, ok.

Wikus, the head of a private military company is put in charge of forcibly evicting the aliens out of District 9 and to the new District 10, located farther from civilization. He becomes infected by an unknown substance and he slowly begins to mutate and acquire 'prawn' features. Ironically, the less human he becomes the more he develops his sense of humanity and goes from being an absolute ass to a mostly likeable person. On the other hand. the behavior of the humans is absolutely inhuman in the treatment of the aliens and Wikus.

The movie isn't for the weak stomached. There isn't necessarily lots of gore, (Though there are disgusting moments) but the twisted morality of the people and realizing what humans are actually capable of might put some people off. I loved it. So if you haven't seen it and are in the mood for a gritty, realistic sci-fi then give District 9 a shot.



6 comments:

  1. I really liked District Nine. Have you seen Prometheus? It's another Ridley Scott movie, and it's a take off of the Alien movies.

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  2. I saw that movie and liked it. A bit gory and gritty, but when you get past that, its really good.

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    1. I was skeptical at first because of the strange beginning, but I ended up loving it <3 It's not your standard alien movie.

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  3. I’m very late getting into the hype of District 9, but I agree with you on it becoming a favorite movie. What I liked about it was that it gives you so much more to think about. The historical and political backdrops provided a lot of depth to what would have been “just another alien movie”. Add how it was set in South Africa with natives in the cast and crew, and it becomes more poignant.

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    1. Exactly! It wasn't your standard sci-fi because it made you think more in depth about how the situations correlated to real life or hey, just peoples' attitudes in general. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's guaranteed to leave some sort of impression and I think that's what made me like it even more.

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