Racism and Corporatism

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2009)

District 9, like many good Sci-fi movies before it, isn't afraid to deal with difficult subject matter. Clearly D9 explores the many ugly realities and attitudes behind racism and corporatism. D9 is the most interesting when it examines these uncomfortable and ugly sides of humanity. But when D9 plunges into action, it becomes slightly tedious.
District 9 turns many Sci-fi clichés upside down. It isn't the aliens that hijack us in our sleep and probe us in private places. It is the humans that do humiliating examinations on relatively helpless aliens. D9 shows that it is actually our own idea, to turn conscious beings into guinea pigs. We ourselves are the horrific monsters that we have feared. We treat other life forms as we please. Looking at the way we treat animals and nature, it is not such a radical notion, that we would exploit alien life forms as well. We humans do as we please, when it comes to prestige and profits. If there's money in it, we'll gut open an alien. If It's good for the markets, it's good for you.
The performances are solid and Sharlto Copley is quite good.
What I personally dislike is that damned "mockumentary" style combined with shaky camera. That gimmick is really wearing out it's welcome. It often feels like a cheap trick to add some realism into a movie, that's basically just make believe anyway. Why do have a need to pretend other wise?
After about halfway mark the movie starts to disintegrate a bit. It becomes more of an action movie and it doesn't do action all that well. In the end of the movie the hero even dons a mechasuit on. It comes out of nowhere and it isn't particularly memorable. But the first half of D9 is very powerful, so the action at the end doesn't ruin it entirely.