Related Sections: Movies Reviews
Review: District 9's aliens give sci-fi a social conscience
Given the thoughtless action epics that populated theaters this summer, it should come as little shock that District 9, an alien occupation story with actual ideas and racial overtones, drew gobsmacked reactions from critics and audiences alike, even before it was properly released.
At the same time, it's also this sense of unlikely triumph that obscures some of the film's shallowness, if not outright shortcomings; but because Neill Blomkamp's emphasis is on humanistic rather than cultural relevance, the writer-director's feature debut is a genuine triumph nonetheless.
The film stars newcomer Sharlto Copley as Wikus, a corporate-owned social worker in South Africa who is enlisted by his boss—and, not coincidentally, his father-in-law—to help relocate a population of alien beings called "prawns" who descended to Earth after their ship ground to a menacing but seemingly inert halt over downtown Johannesburg. Facing a thankless, confrontational job with indefatigable cheer, if also naïve optimism, Wikus eagerly explores the creatures' shanties, only to accidentally be sprayed with a mysterious fluid from an alien device.
But when he begins to partially transform into one of the prawns, Wikus finds himself a pawn in the corporation's plan to harness the power of the alien technology, and soon he forges a tenuous pact with Chris, a prawn who offers to return him to normal in exchange for help returning to the ship.
For a first-time filmmaker, District 9 is a real achievement: Seeded with great, profound ideas, Blomkamp's story works as a conventional piece of entertainment and social commentary simultaneously, and effectively. But its obviousness—and its occasional superficiality—undermines a sense of deeper cultural resonance, even if it teaches lessons that are important and quite frankly more relevant than ever. Thankfully, however, Blomkamp's emphasis is not on deconstructing race relations, but in telling a meaningful story, and he finds many if not most of the right details that bring its emotional core to life.
Shot documentary-style, which gives the material palpable real-world weight, not to mention a certain kind of geographic authenticity, there's an interesting irony to many of the contrasts struck between the South Africans' solidarity as a species against the prawns; black and white citizens alike express their contempt for the creatures, who are described as little more than unthinking drones. (Because it's unclear how far Blomkamp intends to take his metaphor, it's hard to know where his representations of actual black Africans end and the fantasy-other of the prawns begins, although suffice it to say this transparency on the story's surface suggests any deeper connections are likely unintentional.) But the relationship between Wikus and Chris, the one prawn who seems to be capable of cogent thought, is remarkably sensitive and powerful, and it mostly compensates for (if not excuses) some of his conceptual inconsistencies.
For example, Wikus is perhaps best defined as a liberal racist, the kind of person who claims a sense of altruism and benevolence but whose beliefs are mired in ignorance and condescension, however well-meaning are his intentions. But the intellectual and emotional awakening that Wikus endures is profoundly painful for him, sometimes even self-destructive, and he makes progress in half-measures that sometimes backfire but almost always prove relatable or at least recognizable.
Further, there's a key moment in the film when Wikus accidentally interrupts an intimate conversation between Chris and his son, and tenderly knocks on the door frame to acknowledge it; that Blomkamp uses an otherwise insignificant gesture to signify Wikus' evolving respect for these alien creatures serves as a testament to his abilities as a storyteller, and his attention to the universal but oft-overlooked details that define human connection—even if one of the people connecting isn't one.
Of course, with such weighty issues at the forefront of the story, much less this review, one might be tempted to assume that the film is all polemic and no propulsion. But Blomkamp doesn't skimp on the set pieces, and he crafts a truly exciting thriller whose deeper resonance exists there but doesn't distract you: Wikus becomes an unlikely action hero in the service of saving his own life, infiltrates a fortified military compound and at one point dons a metal suit resembling a hollowed-out Robocop ED-209 to battle the military men who wish to turn him into a lab rat just like the poor prawns before him. Like Children of Men, its nearest tonal predecessor, it operates on a hard-science level of authenticity, and while one might be hard pressed to simply call it an action film, there's plenty of it in there to make sure that you're entertained even as you contemplate its other, less visceral elements.
Ultimately, Blomkamp's debut doesn't quite sustain (much less support) the weight of the concepts that reside on its surface, but he does such a good job making sure that what's underneath them works that it's almost impossible not to be charged up afterward. So while the fact that it has ideas at all may indeed be suitable cause for celebration, what's really exciting is that they show real promise and suggest the arrival of a formidable new filmmaking talent.
Be it as a breakneck action-filled thriller or a thought-provoking cultural critique, District 9 truly is one of the best movies of the summer, because it reminds audiences that physical and intellectual stimulus need not be mutually exclusive when it comes to potential blockbusters—especially when there's something emotional there to tie the two together.
By gorehound696 at 9:05 PM ON 08/13/09
I for one am really glad to finally see an original science fiction movie instead of all the krap YARM that has come out of lately.I can not take remakes/reboots any longer but District 9 is original.
By asfm at 9:26 PM ON 08/13/09
gorehound696, District 9 might not be an adaptation or a remake or a sequel or a reboot or a rebootquel or whatever else there is, but, conceptually, it's not original.
I haven't seen the film yet so I don't know the particulars, but the actual story is not original at all. I'm sure it's a great film, though.
By joesocwork at 9:30 PM ON 08/13/09
I am glad to see good story telling that makes one think, regardless of genre (albeit when in sci-fi the better). I hope it does as well as it is critiqued. But concepts of racial differences and isolation isn't completely new though. They been also been explored in such movies as Alienation and I Robot.
By Auriga at 5:16 AM ON 08/14/09
ASFM, if you haven't even seen the movie, what exactly are you judging D9's originality from?
By Emmylou at 8:29 AM ON 08/14/09
gorehound696 it is something of a remake as it is based on a short film the director made some years ago, the ideas, the budget and the story have been expanded but its not brand spanking new.
By jdmimic at 9:47 AM ON 08/14/09
People can take this "it isn't original" way too far. Gorehound is right. It IS an original piece of work in that it is not based directly off any other movie that has come before. Yes, it is an expansion of a short BY THE SAME PERSON, but the short did not tell the whole story as in the movie, the short was not publicly widely available, and the short was intended mostly as a way to advertise the concept to sell the idea of a feature-length movie. the short does not count as a prior piece ripped off by the director.
True, it is not completely original in that it is based on a short, but that does not make it unoriginal. He didn't take a movie or TV show somebody else had done and remake it. That is Gorehound's point. The guy wrote an original story and made it a movie.
True, there have been stories with aliens and stories about race relations before, but come on, stretch far enough and you can say EVERYTHING is a remake, but that is really reaching just to claim something is unoriginal, which is pretty pointless. Let's get a sense of proportion here and actually try to understand what people are talking about and not just try to pick someone's argument apart for the sake of picking someone's argument apart.
***king captcha. What does it take for Syfy to fix that?!
By thinkanarchy at 1:01 PM ON 08/14/09
After reading the review, I'm glad I already saw the movie last night. Can you say "SPOILERS" ?
By AngryJonny at 6:58 PM ON 08/14/09
District 9 is insanely good! Just a stunningly original take on the "aliens have landed" plot. Incredibly technically and thematically impressive with so much worth discussing. Can't wait for the Blu-ray; it'd better have a ton of behind-the-scenes material. I want to know everything about the making of this film. And here's hoping for a sequel (District 10?). There's so much more to explore about Wikus' and the aliens' stories.
By Qwerty at 11:03 PM ON 08/14/09
Nothing is completely "original". All ideas are influenced by all previous ideas. The "alien" sub-genre is certainly no exception.
But in the world of SF movies this is easily the most original take on the "alien" theme in years.
Awesome movie!
By kitofnine at 12:48 AM ON 08/15/09
This film is fucking brilliant. I was speechless in awe for half an hour afterwards.
Beautiful. Mind-blowing. Brutal. Incredibly intelligent.
Everyone really needs to see District 9.
By Michael at 1:13 AM ON 08/15/09
One thing spoiled the whole experience for me: queasy cam.
By dakalmog at 3:09 AM ON 08/15/09
I agree that District 9 is a great film. Some of the elements might not be original, but it feels fresh and new. Loved the "queasy cam" as Michael put it, and the multiple visual sources - it added layers of reality and really helped the audience to believe what they were watching. The audience at the screening I went to applauded at the end. Nice work!
By Token at 7:36 PM ON 08/15/09
I hated the 'shakycam' work too...it was just barely tolerable for me, and since my wife gets motionsick rather easily, she is going to skip it entirely even though she'd love it otherwise.
I didn't particularly find that D9 was particularly about race or racism, although the movie was certainly informed by the South African experience with racial politics and social oppression. Also, I thought the story could have been somewhat deeper in some ways...the nature of the aliens and the political underpinnings of the human organizations involved with their 'management' would have been big items, IMHO...but they were left very implicit in the story.
All in all it was a dandy film however...nice to see something that _isn't_ all Hollywoodized.
By Boomer at 1:12 AM ON 08/16/09
AMAZING MOVIE!
dont care about the shanking.
it felt real. thats what made this movie.
it was over shaky like quarantine or
that one with the creature from the sea.
cant remember the name.
CAT FOOD. nuf said.
By frellerthriller at 2:02 PM ON 08/19/09
This movie is an unmitigated science fiction classic. It is what sci-fi is supposed to be: A statement on the human condition far enough away from reality so that the concepts it explores can be seen from an objective view point. It is full blown entertainment with a strong dash of intellectual enlightenment. Yes, it blows away "Aliens". Bravo. Bring on the sequel!
By Sean Weatherby at 12:51 AM ON 08/26/09
D-9 definitely has a lot going for it -- character development, great acting a at least a few people, awesome alien weapons; it felt a bit preachy at times at different times though
By Chris Johnson at 6:38 PM ON 08/28/09
Wow! I saw it nearly a week ago now and still can't stop talking about it. while the plot and moral tone were important it all eventually takes a back seat to the action which holds nothing back. Also it's amazingly easy to completely suspend any notion that the aliens are SFX. They felt as real, if not more real, and accessible as any human character in the movie.
I thought the shaky cam was well done or rather not overdone like most directors or cinematographers who use it, tend to do. Many TV shows these days are unwatchable because of heavy use of "beyond the stupidest amateur cam" technique. Zooming in and out rapidly, panning in apparent 360º sweeps, all while hopping on one leg.
None of that silliness here.
No doubt, fix the captcha.
By Chris Johnson at 6:41 PM ON 08/28/09
Wow! I saw it nearly a week ago now and still can't stop talking about it. while the plot and moral tone were important it all eventually takes a back seat to the action which holds nothing back. Also it's amazingly easy to completely suspend any notion that the aliens are SFX. They felt as real, if not more real, and accessible as any human character in the movie.
I thought the shaky cam was well done or rather not overdone like most directors or cinematographers who use it, tend to do. Many TV shows these days are unwatchable because of heavy use of "beyond the stupidest amateur cam" technique. Zooming in and out rapidly, panning in apparent 360º sweeps, all while hopping on one leg.
None of that silliness here.
Seriously. Captcha is defective.
By handle 1 at 8:47 PM ON 09/06/09
This movie doen't even rate a B, it is the worst movie I have ever seen. Please don't waste your money!
Visit mobile.syfy.com/wire on your mobile device.
handle 1:
This movie doen't even rate a B, it is the worst movie I have ever seen. Please don't waste your money!...More »