District 9

Rating: Null/10 (24 September 2014)

Ever since I saw Elysium last year, I have been obsessed with its director, Neill Blomkamp, and one of its lead actors, Sharlto Copley. Once I found out they did another film together I was thrilled. I immediately bought it and watched it. The film was District 9. District 9 takes place in a post alien arrival in Johannesburg. This film was better than all of the other Neill Blomkamp's movies and other sci- fi movies I have seen. Through the use of different camera styles, sounds, and lighting, District 9 has unique scenes that make a marvelous film.
A quick synopsis of the film is aliens arrived in Johannesburg in the early 80's. They were stuck on their ship and became refugees in South Africa. Fast forward 20 years, the aliens and human population are at war with one another. The film focuses on a Multi-National United (MNU) worker, Wikus Van de Merwe (Copley), and his day evicting the aliens from their refugee camp, District 9. District 9 uses a variety of camera perspectives to produce a unique feel to different scenes. For example, there are many scenes of family members, co-workers, and professionals describing events that occurred throughout the film. The interviews are similar to a documentary that you would see on the History Channel. There are also scenes that are shot like surveillance footage. The surveillance scenes provides a live action feel which makes the audience believe it is in the moment and there is no time for the main character to think. The interviews and raw footage set the stage for District 9 and bestows a powerful element on the film. Sound was another key element that created such a miraculous film. The use of sound was used very wisely. Instead of having the typical shrieking noise to build up to the intense scene, District 9 has background noise and drum beats. The background noise and drumbeats would increase steadily, giving the viewer the feeling that something bad was about to happen. After building up a scene with sound, District 9 changed the sound completely by changing its tempo once it reached the climax of the scene. A common sound used was loud helicopter noise. The helicopter noise made you feel the intensity of the chase that Wikus was experiencing. Sound is a technique that is often used the same way in films but District 9 brings a whole new level to sound in cinema.
Sound was not the only component used to develop this alien infested world, the use of lighting created a very dramatic mood throughout the film. There is ominous lighting through the introduction, giving a feel that something is about to go drastically wrong. It is very dark and eerie. However, the lighting changes in a blink of an eye. An illustration of this is after Wikus is attacked; the film has bright lights showing Wikus' disorientation. The scene also includes the sound of ringing in your ears which also demonstrates how disoriented he is.
District 9 uses a fantastic combination of cinematic techniques that make it a masterpiece. It will change your view point on sci-fi films. District 9 has brought sci-fi films in to a new era of sophistication. You will want to watch this film over and over again –hoping that the sequel comes soon. District 9 has created a new level of sci-fi cinema.