District 9 Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: August 11th, 2009

It’s strangely fun to think a film not many had heard about a few months ago will be one of the most talked about movies of the summer.  You won’t want to miss District 9, a powerful, refreshing science fiction thriller that will not only leave a lasting impression on its audience, but should make a significant mark on the genre.

Out of the ashes of the failed Halo project, producer Peter Jackson presents a promising new talent in director Neill Blomkamp.  For a first feature, the achievement is astonishing.  A dynamic blend of documentary, political allegory, and alien invasion, the story is likely to only get better with repeat viewing.

Without divulging too many details and steering clear of potential spoilers, the plot is basically this:  An extraterrestrial race travels to Earth where it settles over the South African city of Johannesburg.  After twenty years of residence, the aliens have been forced into slum-like conditions in a walled-in area of the city.  Tensions rise as a private company, Multi-National United (MNU), is contracted to evict the creatures into essentially concentration camps while greedily swiping their advanced weaponry.  Newcomer Sharlto Copley gives a star-making, mostly-improvised performance as Wikus Van De Merwe, a flawed yet sympathetic MNU agent.  There’s certainly more to it, but I wouldn’t want to ruin any more of this unbelievable film.

As a former resident of Johannesburg, Blomkamp draws parallels from the city’s history of apartheid, or racial segregation, in the region.  Shot in and around the South African city, he submerges the setting in a culture of ingrained separation and a gritty physical location of decaying filth.  While clearly a layered metaphor for the conflict and other worldly migrations, the film never sinks into obvious preaching.  Instead Blomkamp cleverly keeps the comparison as an intelligent backdrop to an otherwise exciting action flick.

The production was done on a relatively small $30 million budget, which looks like triple that on screen.  I haven’t been this blown away by summer special effects since Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.  Once a visual effects animator, Blomkamp knows all the right corners to cut to minimize costs and maintain the stunning visuals.

An intricate spacecraft hovers ominously over the worn shantytown shacks.  A suit of mechanical armor riddles enemies with a minigun and explodes heads with its other railgun arm.  But perhaps most impressive is the creature design, a genetic hybrid of insect and human intended to hold a harsh mirror to our own society.

They walk upright, but speak in a series of clicks from a mouth covered by squirming tendrils.  Their size and strength is menacing, but embedded in their hard exoskeleton are hopeless eyes that inspires surprising levels of sympathy for an alien species.

Fending off curious questions at the post-screening Q&A, Blomkamp has seemingly thought of everything.  The hand-held, close-quarters camerawork was intentional to capture the facial expressions of his human and alien characters and ground the audience in the chaotic microcosm.  The white guns of the MNU soldiers is part of the company’s PR strategy to appear harmless.  Each tiny piece of minutia is chronicled in an encyclopedia of carefully constructed details, which are all part of a full-fledged mythology imagined by Blomkamp and his writing partner Terri Tatchell.  Their passion for the material is contagious.

By combining an engaging story of heroism, a deep discussion of human interaction, and an innovative filmmaking style, District 9 nearly morphs into perfection.  I can’t wait to see it again.

4.5 out  of 5.

Thanks to Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News and the Alamo Drafthouse for hosting the screening and lengthy Q&A.