Review: District 9

District 9 is a slum in South Africa where alien beings, known as Prawns, considered a racial slur, live in squalor. The aliens themselves are stranded because their spaceship is stalled out above the city of Johannesburg. Used as a social commentary for the very public race problems of South Africa, the story sees a mild-mannered government work, Wikus, who is given the duty of evicting the aliens into another slum. This project goes awry when Wikus comes into contact with alien chemicals that start morphing him into a Prawn. Now being treated like one of them, Wikus sees the corrupt side to his government's race relations, so he makes an uneasy pact with one of the aliens to cure him of his transformation, if he helps restart the alien spaceship.

The movie plays like a documentary. It starts out as a first person perspective as a camera follows Wikus intertwined with commentary by his co-workers, loved ones, and other intellectuals. Thankgully, it does not stay that way. The curtain comes back many of times in order for the viewer to see the other things going on. The mockumentary (albeit not as spoofish) is an interesting concept that allows for exposition to be given at any time, a useful tool with a story as high concept as this, and as dependent on outside opinion of the events that transpire as well as the human emotion of the characters in the moment.

Sharlto Copley, who plays Wikus, is surprisingly good for someone who never considered a career in acting. At first, his strong accent and Clark Kent-like character seemed like he would be a problem, not a strong suit, but he performed perfectly. Watching his awkward geeky character become a desperate man was a near-perfect character arc. His performance added a level tension and fear that no music could, but his character had a witt and charisma that kept you in touch

The effects were also impressive. The aliens seemed very life-like, and at times they were hard to differentiate from the real life footage. The alien spaceship was a dramatic sight especially seeing it turn on and move away. The alien weapons looked makeshift and thrown together but most pack a punch. The weapons themselves reminded me of Halo, and it is no coincidence that the director, Neill Blomkamp, has been one of the rumors of a Halo adaptation.

Many may question how the South Africans could understand the alien language, and vice versa, but I only found it a small suspension of disbelief. It allowed the film to feel authentic but available to audiences at the same time.

District 9 is a credit to its genre. Science fiction at its best, District 9 balances authentic humanity, cool visuals, and social commentary. A must-see during this surprisingly dissapointing summer season.

9/10