How much Worth : 4.5/5
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley , Jason Cope , Nathalie Boltt , Sylvaine Strike Elizabeth Mkandawie , John Sumner , William Allen Young
District 9 is adapted from a short film titled Alive directed by Neill Blomkamp that dealt with the issue of ethnic prejudice and social isolation. It’s setting is also inspired by contemporary evictions and forced removals to new suburban ghettos in post-apartheid South Africa and the resistance of residents.
District 9 narrates the story of a bureaucrat assigned to displace 1.8 million marooned aliens to a new District 10 camp located 240 kms from Johannesburg. After being exposed to a suspicious alien material a rapid transformation begins to occur when Wikus’s (Sharlto Copley) left arm metamorphoses into a claw exactly like that of a Alien. Wikus is taken into custody and a series of tests and experiments are performed on him. The scientists find out that his DNA is currently in equilibrium with the alien DNA. Wikus flees the hospital when he realizes there is a conspiracy against him to obtain biological weapons. Wikus, now a fugitive, seeks safe haven in the run-down shack of an alien called Christopher Johnson to help the aliens escape the planet and save humanity.
Director Neill Blomkamp’s decision to shoot the film like a docu-thriller is a masterstroke. The investigational camera movement and the steady cam shots during action sequences is an attention-grabbing artistic decision as the violence shown in the film is able to propagate racial bigotry which is the central idea of the film. Metaphorically, the film conveys a lot of points… for example (The aliens were labeled as prawns in the film because the prawns can symbolize any demoralized or oppressed group, but since the film is based in South Africa, apartheid is a clear reference). This film reminds you of the Brazilian Masterpiece City of God since that is the only other film that leaves you gratified and dumbstruck. Critics stood in stunned silence after the film got over. This is what great films do, they make you think, contemplate and deliberate over issues.
The film boasts of one of the best screenplays in the recent era. Racial intolerance, narrow-mindedness, self-centeredness and gender inequality may exist in the world... But there is always hope. This philosophy forms the crux of the film. The chemistry between Wikus and alien (Christopher Johnson) is so real, that the climax when the alien promises to come back in due time brings tears in your eyes.
The film completely belongs to Sharlto Copley…. He underplays his role to such an extent that you start sympathizing with him. You will love the way he used his eyes to show the pain that he undergoes throughout the film. The scene where he talks to his wife on the phone is amazing; he uses voice-modulation to great effect.
