District 9 (2009)

Director:

Neill Blomkamp

Writers:

Neill Blomkamp (screenplay) &
Terri Tatchell (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You are not welcome here.

Plot:

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Prawn | Government | Johannesburg South Africa | Refugee Camp

Cast

Sharlto Copley	...	Wikus Van De Merwe
Jason Cope	...	Grey Bradnam - UKNR Chief Correspondent
Nathalie Boltt	...	Sarah Livingstone - Sociologist
Sylvaine Strike	...	Dr Katrina McKenzie
Elizabeth Mkandawie	...	Interviewee
John Sumner	...	Les Feldman - MIL Engineer
William Allen Young	...	Dirk Michaels
Greg Melvill-Smith	...	Interviewer
Nick Blake	...	Francois Moraneu - CIV Engineer Team
Morena Busa Sesatsa	...	Interviewee
Themba Nkosi	...	Interviewee
Mzwandile Nqoba	...	Interviewee
Barry Strydom	...	Interviewee
Jed Brophy	...	James Hope - Police Officer
Louis Minnaar	...	Piet Smit

MPAA:

Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA | New Zealand

Language:

English | Nyanja | Afrikaans

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45478) | UK:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA (2009) | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) (cut) | India:A | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | Mexico:B15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:14 | South Africa:16LV

Filming Locations:

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Sharlto Copley ad-libbed all his lines during the "documentary" sequences.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Wikus is talking to his wife on cell phone after his escape, a perfectly healthy nail is visible under the band aid covering his finger.

Quotes:

Wikus Van De Merwe: [when under attack in MNU] What are you doing?
Christopher Johnson: Making a bomb!

Movie Connections:

References The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

Soundtrack:

Die Leeuws (The Lions)

Expect the unexpected

Everyone's seen the trailer that kick-started one very fishy-looking viral campaign, interviewing several humans and an alien in quick succession. That marks many people's first exposure to Neill Blomkamp's District 9, and the trailer - which had a decently executed "mockumentary" feel to it, which only served to make its sci-fi content seem even more surprising. This same element of surprise is still present throughout the film proper, and it is quite a cinematic treat.

District 9 takes place in an alternate timeline where, twenty years ago, an alien spaceship came to a halt above the city of Johannesburg. The inhabitants of the ship are unable to operate the ship anymore, so they end up being segregrated to their own slum within the city below. Eventually, the government calls for the eviction of the aliens (nicknamed "prawns" due to their appearance) from the slum. The film's ostensible protagonist is Wikus (Sharlto Copley), who through a series of events too complicated to recount in a synopsis, ends up undergoing some rather dramatic changes and before long he's thrust into the middle of something far too big for him to handle...

The best thing about District 9 is that it always manages to stay fresh and surprising throughout. As the trailers indicate, it starts off as a mockumentary in order to expose the gist of the story. The film gradually crosses over to being a more conventional film, although still filmed with a very documentarian look and interspersed with occasional news footage or interviews. Despite the unexpected change in presentation, you don't really notice because you're so wrapped up in the ingenious premise. Then you're presented with the plight of Wikus, whose story is one I don't really want to expose too much because watching it all unfold was just amazing to watch. He's a perfect example of the Everyman, trying to survive as best he can in the face of everything that the world throws at him over the course of the film. His development, along with that Chris, the prawn he befriends (who is surprisingly well-rounded for a CGI character) raises this above your average science-fiction film. Even when the film's final third act becomes incredibly action-packed, it still doesn't jar with the mood of the film and doesn't forsake its characters and intelligence for the sake of cheap action sequences.

On that subject, the action sequences are far from "cheap". Given that Blomkamp and collaborator Peter Jackson were originally aiming to make a film adaptation of Halo before changing to this, there's still plenty of moments that feel quite reminiscent of Bungie's game, from the alien technology to the frantic battles. The effects work looks great in even the simplest of situations, to say nothing of the bombastic finale. There's just something about the way it all comes together, especially when it is combined with one very uncompromising storyline and subject.

District 9 is a rare find nowadays. It doesn't sacrifice the intelligence or raw power that its story affords it for the sake of appeasing your "typical" blockbuster crowd with a lighter rating and less focus on the story. It's a damned fine thriller that is not without its flaws, but is still several cuts above your average summer film and is well worth watching - but only if you can handle the heat. And it does get quite hot.