Containing The Aliens

Rating: 7/10 (4 October 2009)

District 9 is an interesting film in that it is set in South Africa - a country with a tragic history of separation and intolerance.
That this was the case is hardly ironic, the filmmakers deliberately used South Africa's racially divisive history to emphasize the ill-treatment begot by 'Prawn' aliens landing in Johannesburg some 20 years ago.
Peter Jackson lends his masterful cinematic experience to a film which has proved that South African filmmakers can confidently stand alongside Hollywood giants in the big-action sci-fi flicks.
The story is a nostalgic mix of Starship Troopers, Independence Day and perhaps even Alien vs Predator. The visual effects are stunning, the action is intentionally documentary-style and overall it comes across pretty well.
Over 1 million 'Prawns' are being forcefully relocated away from the main population center in Johannesburg - some 200km away (reminiscent of the Group Areas Act - where the Afrikaners forcefully vacated Black shantytowns away from White Areas). But not all the 'Prawns' are going down without a fight.
That's where Wickus Van Der Merwe - MNU Operations Head comes into play. This soft-spoken bureaucrat is charged with the removals. But he gets 'infected' by 'Prawn' DNA and so begins a terrifying journey of self-reflection, disillusionment, rejection and prejudice.
Suddenly Wickus knows how it feels to be hated. He is ostracized from his family, his friends and society. His new goal is to help get the 'Prawns' back onto the mother ship.
This is where the journey begins, who knows where it will end...