Falls just short of greatness

Rating: 7/10 (27 August 2009)

District 9 had all the potential in the world. It could have been one of greats of science fiction, standing along side intense and thought provoking works such as Planet Of The Apes and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Somewhat disappointingly though, what we're left with as the closing credits start to roll is an above average movie that certainly manages to entertain but falls significantly short of greatness.
The heart breaker is that everything starts out so well! The first part of the movie is presented as a documentary describing how twenty years ago a giant spaceship descends upon Earth and comes to rest above Johannesburg, South Africa. After a few months with no movement from the hovering ship and no contact from whatever may be inside, the decision is made to break into the craft to try and get some answers. What the humans discover is a race of alien beings obviously malnourished and in need of aid. Through the use of news clips, security camera footage and interviews with experts and the citizens of Johannesburg, a meaningful, though not very subtle, allegory of apartheid is presented.
The aliens are brought down to the Earth's surface and given the aid that they need but are soon segregated from the general population and placed into District 9. Living conditions worsen for the beings, known almost exclusively by the derogatory term "prawns", as overcrowding and militarization lead District 9 to becoming a slum. Tensions grow as the human population grows more and more hostile towards the outsiders and the decision is made to move all of the "prawns" away from the city to the newly developed District 10, another less than subtle reference to the forced removals during apartheid.
It's a simple premise with deep, complex themes. At this point while watching the film I was happily expecting to spend the next hour and a half experiencing a meaningful story that deals with heavy issues all contained within a unique take on the summer blockbuster. Unfortunately this is the point where everything started to unravel.
The protagonist of District 9, Wikus Van De Merwe, is a bumbling, slightly cowardly, less than intelligent man who is very hard to empathize with. He works for the MNU, the company tasked with the job of transporting the "prawns" to their new homes, and is given the task of leading the effort to "evict" the aliens not through his merits as a leader but instead through nepotism. Like nearly every other human depicted, Wikus is a bigot that treats the aliens as if they don't deserve even the most basic forms of respect or compassion. As Wikus enters district 9 in order to serve the residents with their eviction notices the documentary aspect starts to fade away and a more traditional cinematic approach is taken. The change isn't for the better.
From here on out the movie consists mostly of limited characterization, lots of impressive special effects and more than a few exploding bodies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's definitely fun to watch, it just could have been so much more.
The "prawns" themselves aren't given much characterization at all. Most of them seem pretty primitive, intelligent enough to communicate but quick to revert to an animal like state. It seems only a select few have intelligence comparable to humans. One of these few, who's taken the name Christopher Johnson, is presented as the face of the entire race and is the one we are supposed to show compassion for. We know this because he shows sadness over a fallen friend and more importantly, he has a cute, wide eyed child. Through him we're meant to care about an entire race. We do end up caring about Christopher and his kid but maybe it's not just because he seems like a good guy who just wants to get home, but also because all of the humans are just varying degrees of bad.
As stated, Wikus is not a likable person. Almost every action he takes is selfish in nature and almost always ends up hurting someone. If his actions happen to help someone else along the way then it's merely a happy coincidence. He's out for himself first and foremost with very few exceptions.
Still, he's definitely the most likable human here. From the MNU who disregards both alien and human life in the pursuit of weapons technology, to Mumbo, the leader of a black market preying on the "prawns", to the MNU mercenaries who are obviously evil (as evidenced by their goat's head logo), humans are definitely the bad guys here.
Having said all of this though, I still enjoyed District 9. Is it as amazing as many people say it is? I personally don't think so. It's smart movie that makes a point that's driven home with bullets and gore. If it had stuck to it's initial idea and presented that same action through the lens of a documentary camera the entire time I think the results would have been more unique and moving, causing it to stand out from the crowd more than it does.