Having written about multiple classic sci-fi flicks out of Steven Jay Schneider’s book “1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die,” from Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Ghostbusters, I wanted to share my unexpected adoration for a more recent take on the genre. So, today I examine why I ended up really enjoying Neill Blomkamp’s 2009 action thriller flick District 9.
[NOTE: This blog will contain spoilers for “District 9.” You have been warned.] The History Born out of a desire to produce a film adaptation of the Halo video game franchise, Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) sought out first-time director Blomkamp. However, after the project was stalled due to financing struggles, Jackson and Blomkamp began work on a new project that incorporated props made for the Halo movie. Writing the screenplay with his wife, Terri Tatchell, Blomkamp took inspiration from his short film “Alive in Joburg” by including characters, events, and ideas he found interesting. Notably, he aimed to inject documentary-style filmmaking by staging interviews as well as utilize alien technology in tandem with one another in order to offer social commentary on the racial conflict surrounding the legacy of apartheid and segregation in his native country of South Africa. Choosing to shoot in South Africa, the project held principal photography over the course of 60 days in June and July in order to capture a deserted, bleak environment for the movie’s aesthetic in Soweto, Johannesburg. The “District 9” neighborhood in the movie was filmed in a real impoverished neighborhood where people were being forcibly relocated to government housing. Due to some filming occurring in December, Blomkamp’s creative team had to edit out some greenery and vegetation from some of the scenery and background shots. While no single movie was the sole inspiration for his film, Blomkamp stated that the “hardcore” sci-fi and action flicks of the 1980s (i.e. Aliens, Predator, RoboCop, Terminator) served as “subconscious” influences because he wanted the movie to look “glossy” and “slick.” In designing the alien creatures for the movie, Blomkamp wanted them to have both humanlike and barbaric features in order to keep them from being “cute” in order to make the audience initially revolt at them before empathizing with them more over the course of the film. Thus, Blomkamp insisted they maintain a face and “anthropomorphic shape” since human psychology often keeps us from truly relating with creatures that lack such things. Released in August of 2009, District 9 earned over 210 million dollars on a 30-million-dollar budget. Critics were almost universally positive, with particular acclaim for the film’s direction, visual effects, story, and themes of xenophobia and social segregation. However, there was some mixed reception among Nigerian actors and government officials who argued over whether or not the film’s Nigerian characters were portrayed in a negative light. Furthermore, some critics identified the screenplay as fitting within the mold of the “white savior narrative.” Nevertheless, District 9 received four Oscar nominations that year (including Best Picture), winning none. The Pros In my humble opinion, the biggest strength of District 9 is how well it takes a well-worn story premise—an alien invasion of Earth—but presenting it in a very refreshing and unique way. Rather than portraying the aliens (“prawns” as they’re referred to in the movie) as domineering, aggressive conquerors seeking Earth’s resources or to simply exterminate the human race, Blomkamp turns them into extraterrestrial refugees taken in by South Africa. This alone gives the film so much potential to explore several relevant themes and ideas. Notably, the slum-like conditions of the prawns’ refugee camp in Johannesburg reflects real-world examples of gentrification and xenophobia (like apartheid in South Africa itself). Simply put, science-fiction storytelling is done right when it has something to say about humanity. Without a doubt, District 9 makes for some solid social commentary wrapped in an entertaining package of action and suspense. Speaking of which, the film offers more than just relevant themes to explore. It is also a solid action flick that (mostly) uses its budget pretty effectively. I specifically enjoyed the storming of the Multinational United (MNU) lab where brutal experiments are being conducted on the prawns. But, the best action sequence in District 9 is undoubtedly the climax in the District 9 camp itself with the mech suit. I can’t emphasize enough how a movie from this century with this small of a budget (especially for a sci-fi action flick) could have easily pulled its punches on the action in favor of the drama. But no; Blomkamp seemingly acknowledged all the elements that make a great sci-fi movie. Of course, none of the action or ideas work without some compelling, character-drive moments. Without a doubt, the extent to which District 9 succeeds in that regard is squarely on the shoulders of its human protagonist Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley). A reluctant and unlikely hero, Wikus begins the film as a low-level MNU bureaucrat simply trying to do a good job before being infected by the prawns’ fluid slowly initiates his physical transformation into a prawn. Over the course of the runtime, Wikus generally operates out of his selfish desire to revert the change and become fully human again. So, when his selfless act of risking his life to save Christopher Johnson (Jason Cope) and his son, CJ—two prawns that make a deal with Wikus to help cure him in exchange for his help fixing their dropship—Blomkamp’s direction and Copley’s performance come together for a surprisingly emotional moment that I was not expecting based on the first third of the movie. Strong performances, solid action sequences, sophisticated themes, and superb payoffs make District 9 (in my humble opinion) more than worth your time. However, that doesn’t mean it lacks some notable flaws. The Cons To be honest, I was unsure if I’d like District 9 for about the first twenty minutes. While I think the documentary-style for a narrative film can work in its favor (i.e. the “found footage” approach in The Blair Witch Project), I personally found it an unengaging way of doing exposition. Luckily, the film improves a lot over the next hour-and-a-half which only makes me dislike how it starts more. To be blunt, I think Blomkamp could’ve come up with a smarter and more interesting way of telling the backstory of the prawns’ arrival to Earth and how humanity has treated them (how about some visual storytelling with minimal dialogue?). As I mentioned in “The Pros” section, I was generally impressed with how Blomkamp and his creative team handled a relatively small budget for an action-heavy sci-fi movie. But there were moments throughout its runtime where the low-quality CGI (specifically, the depiction of the prawns) stuck out. While it never quite took me out of the film, these moments were frequent and jarring enough to warrant mentioning here. If anything, Blomkamp’s visual effects team could’ve probably just simplified the design of the prawns a bit to make it either look sleeker or to ease the difficulty of what they were putting on the silver screen. So, what are my final impressions of District 9? Despite a hit-or-miss, exposition-heavy start and some questionable special effects, this movie more than earns its status as one of the better sci-fi flicks of the 21st century. It also is a solid example of international filmmaking that uses quasi-blockbuster entertainment to make some powerful (and, unfortunately, still prescient) arguments about the flaws of human society and the way we treat those we deem “other” than us. What are your thoughts on Neil Blomkamp’s District 9? What other international sci-fi movies do you recommend? What opinions of mine do you find absolutely ridiculous? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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