District 9

"When dealing with aliens, try to be polite, but firm. And always remember that a smile is cheaper than a bullet."

Over twenty years ago an alien spaceship appeared in the sky over Johannesburg, South Africa.  When the spaceship is finally investigated, they find over a million malnourished aliens.  The aliens are removed from the ship, and the government forms a new entity to regulate the actions of the aliens, Multinational United (MNU).  The aliens, referred to as Prawns, are housed in a slum called District 9.

In the present, MNU is preparing to relocate the 1.8 million Prawns to a new slum, called District 10.  The head of the relocation project is Wikus Van De Merwe (Copley), only received the job because he is the son-in-law of the director of MNU, Piet Smith (Louis Minaar).  Wikus and his team must notify all the Prawns of the move by going door to door.  During one visit, Wikus gets sprayed in the face by a mysterious substance and then his whole world changes.

I have been curious / interested in this film since the first moment I encountered it.  Posters, magazine articles, and trailers for this film teased me around ever corner... and before I knew it, District 9, was in theaters.  But I was unable to see it until now.

Where to start.... There have been countless films and television shows about humanities first encounter with aliens, or living with aliens, and yet this film managed to show something new.  We don't really see much about the initial contact or public sentiment when the Prawns arrived.  This information is revealed through interviews in the "documentary" at the beginning of the film.  In addition, I appreciate that the aliens in the film do not look like typical aliens (like E.T.).

The majority of the film is great.... setting up the world of the characters and the way the prawns and humans interact.  It makes prawn, Christopher Johnson (voiced by Jason Cope), sympathetic... and sets up Wikus and his role in the relocation.  It is pretty awesome... and then towards the end, it becomes a giant battle.  The battle is interesting, but it takes away from the earlier scenes.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film and think it deserves all the accolades it has been receiving (it's up for the Academy Award for  "Best Picture")!

District 9 (2009) 122 minutes
Rating: R for bloody violence and pervasive language
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley as Wikus Van De Merwe
Jason Cope as Grey Bradnam
Eugene Khumbanyiwa as Obesandjo
David James as Col. Koobus Venter