I found District 9 on DVD for very cheap the other week and finally got round to watching it today.
A very interesting film. It is initially presented as a documentary that follows the story of a population of aliens who became stranded over Johannesburg and were forced to live in a shanty town called District 9 for 20 years before the government launched a harsh eviction scheme. The detail put into these sequences to make them feel authentic is impressive - the acting is surprisingly believable, as is the diverse range of cinematography styles, which really gives it the feel of a genuine documentary. Even as this documentary presentation is gradually scaled back to make way for a tighter plot focus on the actions of one man, it is still used to good effect.
The overall theme of the plot also played against my expectations. I mean, come on, gruesome-looking creatures arrive on Earth all of a sudden; it would be easy to jump to conclusions about where this might be heading. In fact, these extraterrestrial visitors simply wish to return home and are trying to have the best life they can in a horrible situation. Meanwhile, as the film progresses, it is evident that the organisation in charge of the eviction project are cruelly exploiting the aliens and their real intentions of this eviction are actually far more sinister. One of the most striking things with regard to this is how the sole human protagonist changes after the major plot development (he is slowly mutating into an alien due to exposure to "the fluid"), especially as his friendship with one of the persecuted aliens grows. I was a bit perplexed as to how they were able to communicate, because they spoke in completely different dialects and yet understood each other perfectly, something that was never properly explained.
Effects elsewhere are strong, although the combat scenes are shockingly violent, almost too macabre for my tastes -- I've never seen a film where this many people are killed by literally being ripped apart in a shower of blood by brutal sci-fi weaponry. The soundtrack seemed more appropriate, using an intense form of South African folk music that really set the tone whilst fitting in with the environment.
Recommended