An Expanded Indie Sci Fi Film

Rating: 7/10 (1 September 2009)

When I first saw the trailer, I did not think I will like this movie. Ugly mechanical-looking aliens coexisting with humans did not really appeal to me that much. When I saw the name of Peter Jackson (of "Lord of the Rings" fame) above the title in the poster, then I got interested. However, as the credits came up at the end of the movie, I discovered that Peter Jackson did not actually direct this film, but is just one of the producers. I guess they had to highlight Jackson's name since the director and actors in this project are all unknown.
The whole film for me felt like an extended independent film with a budget for CG special effects. The aliens (derogatorily called "prawns") were housed in a slum township in Johannesburg called District 9. The aliens here are left to fend for themselves among greedy and deceitful humans. They lead bleak and violent lives, scavenging for food in garbage dumps and victimized by abusive human gangs. (How is that for a social allegory?) After 20 years of such tension-filled co-habitation, humans decided to move the aliens 200 km away from the city. And this is where the main story begins.
I liked the documentary feel of the whole movie. The scenes were taken from the lenses of a television cameras, hand-held cameras or even security cameras. I liked the fact that there were no name actors in this film. In fact, the lead role was amazingly played by a first-time film actor named Sharlto Copley. His ordeal as Wikus van de Merwe, from the over-eager officer in charge of evicting the aliens from District 9 to his exposure and infection with an alien fluid was very well-portrayed. His performance was very natural, as if he was ad-libbing the whole time . This also added to the indie film feel of the film.
Because of the indie film vibe of this film, I am ready to just overlook the obvious plot holes. The main holes dealt with the nature of the Prawns themselves. Why have they arrived all those years ago? Why have a seemingly advanced alien life form allow themselves to turn into savages? Why was the effort to return to the mother ship only undertaken by a single alien entity named Christopher (and his son)? And what is the exact nature of that mysterious alien fluid? Unfortunately, the film expects us to just accept these things as a given and gives us no explanations. Ignore them as I would, these glaring unanswered questions detract from the overall quality of the whole movie.