Here they are not welcomed but feared, and their camp turns into a prison. Afraid of alien attacks, humans demand they be relocated far from town, and clueless official named Wikus van der Merwe, played by Sharlto Copley, is placed in charge of this assignment. The creatures are not wanting to move. A private security force, lead by van der Merwe, moves in with armored vehicles and flame-throwers to encourage them, and van der Merwe happily destroys homes that have their children.
Who are these aliens? Where did they come from? How did their ship apparently run out of power (except what’s necessary to lift its huge weight?). No one asks: They’re here, they are not liked, so they want to throw them out of town. There doesn’t seem to be a lot to like. Ebert described, “In appearance, they’re loathsome, in behavior disgusting and evoke so little sympathy that killing one is like — why, like dropping a 7-foot lobster into boiling water.”
This science-fiction film, directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson, makes it look like a mockumentary about van der Merwe’s relocation campaign, his infection by an alien virus, his own shelter in District 9 and his partnership with the only alien who behaves intelligently and shows, what else, human emotions. This alien, named Christopher Johnson, has a secret workspace where he prepares to return to the mothership and help his people.
A lot of the story involves the obsession of the private security firm in learning the secret of the alien weapons, which humans cannot function. Curiously, none of these weapons seems superior to those of the humans and aren’t used to much effect by the aliens in their own defense. After van der Merwe grows a lobster claw in place of a hand, he can operate the weapons, and thus become victim of both the security company and the Nigerian gangsters, who abuse the aliens by selling them cat food. All of this is shown very seriously.
The film’s South African setting brings up inevitable equals with its now obsolete apartheid system of racial segregation. Many of them are obvious, such as the action to move a race out of the city and to a remote location. Others will be more pointed in South Africa. The title “District 9” suggests Cape Town’s historic District 6, where Cape Coloureds (as they were called then) owned homes and businesses for many years before being destroyed and relocated. Ebert noted, “The hero’s name, van der Merwe, is not only a common name for Afrikaners, the white South Africans of Dutch descent, but also the name of the protagonist of van der Merwe jokes, of which the point is that the hero is stupid. Nor would it escape a South African ear that the alien language incorporates clicking sounds, just as Bantu, the language of a large group of African apartheid targets.”
Certainly, this van der Merwe isn’t the smartest man on the team. Ebert said, “Wearing a sweater vest over a short-sleeve shirt, he walks up to alien shanties and asks them to sign a relocation consent form.” He has little sense of caution, which is why he ends up in his eventual issue. What Neill Blomkamp somehow does is make Christopher Johnson and his son, Little CJ, sympathetic despite appearances. This is done by giving them, but no other aliens, human body language, and little CJ even gets big wet eyes, like E.T.
Ebert credited, ““District 9” does a lot of things right, including giving us aliens to remind us not everyone who comes in a spaceship need be angelic, octopod or stainless steel.” Obviously, they are all aliens. This is also a unified fusion of the mockumentary and special effects (the aliens are CGI). There’s a sad story here about the alienation and treatment of refugees.
However, the third act is disappointing, which is just a usual shoot-out action. Ebert admitted, “No attempt is made to resolve the situation, and if that’s a happy ending, I’ve seen happier. Despite its creativity, the movie remains space opera and avoids the higher realms of science-fiction.”
Ebert continued, “I’ll be interested to see if general audiences go for these aliens. I said they’re loathsome and disgusting, and I don’t think that’s just me.” The movie mentions Nigerian prostitutes helping the aliens, but smartly abstains from entertaining us with this scene.
I don’t understand why Doug Walker didn’t like this film. I guess I can see when he said that this is borrowing from other films when it changes the way it is shot and the story, but I think what was different about this movie than the usual story is that it focused on someone who became an outcast because they were affected by something that is causing them to change. This is making him an outcast now and not welcomed, and we see that gradually, which is sad. However, I liked the way the movie looks, with the South Africa setting, the alien look, and the action. Check it out and see for yourself how you like. I think everyone will like it, but if anyone doesn’t, I can get it. Still, don’t think this is the same story as Avatar, Dances with Wolves, or Pocahontas, because it is not entirely. Look at it from the perspective of someone who suddenly turns into an outcast because of circumstances beyond his control.
Now we have ended “Science Fiction Month,” and I hope everyone liked it. Stay tuned next month when I have to think about what I will review next.
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