"District 9"
Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka
Kenneth Nkosi
Rated: R
Much of the best science fiction has philosophical and social overtones.
Two great films from the 1950s come to mind. "The Incredible Shrinking Man" dealt with the very existence of man and the soul. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" concerned the then-burgeoning cold war and xenophobia.
Also, the original "Star Trek" TV series tackled lots of social issues of the 1960s.
Director Neill Blomkamp's stunning new film, "District 9," is a science-fiction piece that deals with many issues on peoples' minds in the new millennium.
Produced by Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson, it's as amazing to look at as it is to ponder. A $30-million budget used to be large for a film, but in Jackson's world it's bargain-basement pricing. You'd never know that by looking at this film, though.
Blomkamp was born in South Africa (he now lives in Canada), and that country's history of apartheid informs much of the basic story in "District 9." Racism, xenophobia and the government contracting big business to do their dirty work are other underlying themes. Even the title is a reference to Cape Town's District 6, infamous during apartheid.
Another important aspect of the plot is the United States' ongoing debate over illegal aliens. But the aliens in the movie aren't from south of the border. They are from another planet. And rather than merely a different skin tone, these aliens look quite different from human beings, who all look more similar than different if the truth be known.
The film is shot (in the beginning, anyway) in a "mockumentary" style and opens with newscast footage that sets up the back-story.
Nearly 30 years ago, a huge spaceship appeared over Johannesburg, stalled there and remains in the sky to this day. Though no one knows where it came from, investigations were carried out and when authorities boarded the craft they found nearly a million aliens who were in bad shape and starving to death. In what started as a gesture of good faith, the aliens were brought to the ground. But in 1980, apartheid was still in place in South Africa and the aliens were soon rounded up and moved into a squalid township called District 9.
Members of all races denigrate the aliens - they are derisively referred to as "prawns" because they resemble some sort off crustacean - and there is a movement to relocate them further from the main city.
The government hires a corporation called MNU - Multi-National United, a Halliburton sort of affair. Wikus van der Merwe, a rather ineffectual bureaucrat, is put in charge of running the relocation process. Most of the aliens don't want to leave. Many have resorted to forming gangs and running criminal enterprises. And they want to stay close to the Nigerian dealers who supply their drug of choice: cat food, eaten with the can and all.
MNU brings in tanks and heavy machinery to begin razing District 9. Little regard is held for prawn life, including the children.
And something more sinister is afoot. Clandestine experiments are being done on prawns, with MNU trying to discover a way to operate the weapons the aliens possess. To do this, alien DNA is extracted and used in secret lab experiments.
This turns out to be bad news for Mr. van der Merwe as he gets infected with some of the stuff and little by little he begins morphing into a prawn. He also finds he can now use their weapons, so needless to say, the MNU is extremely interested in studying him.
When this happens he goes on the run in District 9 and befriends a prawn (he usually detests the aliens) and his young son.
Van der Merwe discovers this alien has his own secret lab where he is developing a way to get back to the mothership and help his people, at which point they will presumably head home.
Besides the social/philosophical/political aspects - this is indeed, a thinking person's science-fiction film - there is plenty of action, the special effects are top-notch and there's a bit of humor to take some of the edge off of things.
At age 29, director Blomkamp has made a slam dunk in his debut film. "District 9" satisfies on many levels.
Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.
