This movie has been on my wishlist to see for nearly ten years. It came out when we were up to our necks dealing with the damage to our house in Houston from Hurricane Ike after nearly a year's fight with the Cthulu-damned insurance company.
Again, this movie came out in 2009 so don't be bitching because I don't post a SPOILERS warning.
Anyway, District 9's format is done as a combo of found-footage/documentary/straight narrative. It takes the opposite track of one of my favorite movies, Alien Nation. When the mysterious spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa, the aliens are shoved into horrid refugee camps. It's an interesting, unflinching look at the country's history of apartheid compared to the U.S.'s idealistic view that all newcomers are welcome.
The narrative focuses on nerdy bureaucrat Wikus. His father-in-law is an executive of Multinational United, a military corporation the S.A. government puts in charge of the aliens. MNU's ultimate goal is to find a way to use the aliens' powerful weapons which have a biological lock on them.
When his father-in-law assigns Wikus to move the aliens (nicknamed "prawns") from the District 9 ghetto to an internment camp 200 miles away from Johannesburg, he views the situation as a promotion. The casual cruelty MNU personnel, including Wikus, show the aliens is heart-breaking, but very typical (and topical) of what is happening in the world today.
During the search of a hovel owned by alien Christopher Johnson, Wikus accidentally sprays himself with an alien fluid. He confiscates the canister, but lapses into a seizure. When he recovers, he alternately is starving and puking. By the time he returns home that evening, his body is starting to mutate into that of an alien.
Realizing what this could mean as far as activating the alien weapons, his father-in-law has him transferred to a MNU research facility. Wikus's father-in-law also tells a despicable lie to Wikus's daughter--that Wikus is infected with an alien STD and is dying.
The rest of the movie turns into an action story as Wikus escapes MNU and desperately seeks help in District 9, ending up with Christopher Johnson, the alien he stole the canister from.
Sharlto Copley's turn as Wikus amazed to me after only seeing him The A-Team and Maleficent, even though this role was filmed long before the other two. His portrayal was hardly heroic, but he managed to make Wikus sympathetic as the character gains his humanity as be becomes increasingly non-human.
Jason Cope's portrayal of Christopher Johnson was even more heartbreaking. He only wants to take his son to the home the boy has never seen.
In addition to the commentary on racism, the movie raises serious concerns over governments' reliance on multi-national corporations with no accountability to the citizens.
I found it funny that this movie is far more PC than The Magnificent Seven, but it received far less flak (other than from the Nigerian government who seemed to miss most of the movie's themes).
Also, the "white savior complex" was totally subverted in the story. If Christopher Johnson and his son reach home and bring back a rescue party for their people, who were eventually moved to the new camp, Wikus might have been instrumental in the extinction of the human race given the aliens' superior weaponry.
Overall, I give District 9 10 stars out of 10 for being one of the best sci-fi think pieces that I've seen in a long, long time.
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