District 9
I was able to watch District 9 yesterday and I thought it was a pretty cool concept for a movie. I might spoil the movie a bit.
I actually went into the cinema not knowing what to expect because I had no background information on the movie. In fact, when I got to the movie house and saw the poster is where I first heard of it. You have to forgive me because I’ve been living under a rock a lot lately.
So anywayz, I just decided to go and watch it because it was produced by Peter Jackson and because I loved what he did with Lord of the Rings and King Kong.
I loved the concept because I guess its the first film to actually portray aliens as somewhat human. Its a movie where they aren’t seen as the enemy or those that invade us and wreak havoc but as the ones who are being treated badly by humans. Well, not entirely bad as they were given homes but not enough to live on.
District 9 is set in Johannesburg, South Africa. It starts twenty years back when an alien spacecraft hovers over Johannesburg. The government investigate the craft and discover malnourished prawn-like aliens within it and decide to put them in a camp called District 9. In the present age, District 9 has become a slum and the relations between aliens and humans have become hostile forcing the government to evict and relocate the aliens to District 10, another camp that is much further away where aliens will be isolated from the humans.
The company assigned for the task is Multinational United (MNU) and the appointed head of the operation is Wikus van de Merwe. And this is where the story begins. Wikus and MNU agents go to District 9 to inform the aliens that they are being evicted. When informing an alien named Christopher, who unlike the other aliens, questions the legality eviction, Wikus raids the house of the alien and finds a black liquid which he accidentally sprays onto his face.
The liquid somewhat alters his DNA making him into an alien little by little. Worse things happen when it is revealed that MNU actually seeks to gain control of alien technology and holds Wikus captive. Being able to escape, Wikus hides in District 9 and happened to chance upon Christopher who agrees to help him restore back his human form.
The movie was also filmed like a documentary where a camera crew follows Wikus and the evacuation team as well as making use of interviews, video surveillance, and news coverage. The actor who plays Wikus, Sharlto Copley, was actually brilliant in his role as the guy who gets the most amount of bad luck in the world.
Even if the other component in this film were aliens, I guess we could relate it somewhat to our society that despite our differences, we can work together for a better future. We just need a lot of understanding, willingness to listen, and the drive to cooperate.
