My oh my, I didn't see it coming. District-9 was quite 'humble' not to put so many ads along with other blockbuster summer movies, but with so many interest gained, especially after some viral marketing and lots of positive feedbacks, many claims that this is the one of the best movie of its genre. When we are fed up with bad big budget movies with overrated CGI, its over the top budget, and last but not least lame storyline, DISTRICT-9 offers us something really fresh, a truly and remarkable unique experience of how enjoying a sci-fi movie (which often neglected by common audiences, unless you're a damn geek). Once again, Peter Jackson as producer, gives us another masterpiece of its kind.
PLOT
As a whole, the movie is divided into 2 chapters, the first part is a kinda semi-documentary, where it explains the origins of the alien mother ship who is accidentally stuck in the Johannesburg sky. After 20 years, the aliens live side by side with humans, since their mother ship was broken down, and nothing can be done about it, since the important component of it was missing. Since then, the aliens (prawns, how the people named them) creates a slum and do illegal trading with the Nigerians, within the area which later called DISTRICT - 9. Similar with the apartheid era (that's why Johannesburg was chosen), the discrimination attitude toward the aliens are worsen. No aliens are allowed to enter the inner city, their district is heavily guarded, becomes a militarization zone. To handle the hectic situation, the government create a MNU (Multi-National United), a private company which specializes in weapons research and security subcontracting where its sole objective is to watch and take care the District-9 issue. Apparently, MNU is planning to relocate the whole prawns into District 10, a more remote are, where it can also be referred to a 'concentration camp.
Hi, I'm Wikus bla bla bla, please sign this and get out!
An MNU officer, named Wikus van der Merwe (played brilliantly by an unknown actor Sharlto Copley), was assigned to handle the relocation task, which apparently, uses lots of force and manipulation tactics. Wikus is just an ordinary guy, has a beautiful wife, and just given a handful task by his father in-law, who happens to be the head of MNU. During the relocation and raid process, he found a strange canister within one of the prawns' house (named Christopher Johnson), where it accidentally sprayed some liquids to his face. Time after time, he becomes sick and something strange is going on inside his body. Then, he becomes the conflict of interest, between the MNU and the prawns, and this poor guy has to endure many things which he can't imagine before, just like U2's song, 'Stuck in the moment, and you can't get out of it'. Well, I'll leave the rest for you to watch, but mark my words...the second part of the movie...will blow your mind (yes, and you'll see lots of things blowing up literally).
One big giant robot who do has lost of f*ckin' amazing weapons
REVIEW
What surprise me is that the movie is tend to be serious, as it's really happen in our own backyard. The documentary style of the movie reminds us a lot of J.J. Abrams Cloverfield, which adds the realism of the story. All the unknown actors are brilliant, much better than any movie you see for the whole summer, and the plus thing, we've never seen them before, which kinda makes them like real people in the real situation. The discrimination issue is a parallel story of the real apartheid during the 1960's in South Africa, where all the blacks were residing in District-6. Not to mention, the slums potrayed in the movie, was actually a REAL slum in the present day, and it's just been evicted, well so much for potraying reality, huh?
And to satisfy us, the second part of the movie is full of non-stop actions, with lots of alien's weaponry, which blows us apart (and the enemy too, in million pieces). I warned you, those who can't stand see body parts missing, limbs spattered, finger's chopped, etc, better get your plastic bag ready. This is the kind of action scenes that I've wanted, not with CGI blood, or like a cartoonish one. The way Neill Blomkamp direct these scenes is truly amazing and thrilling. I think the future action movie should take a look how he did it with D-9. Somehow, with only $30M budget, Blomkamp with Jackson (not to forget WETA, his company who made Lord of The Rings visual effect) managed to come up with a magnificent visual imagery (and much MORE convincing that TF2 or GI JOE).
Bottom line, D-9 is truly an original movie, not just an ordinary sci-fi movie, but it is also a drama with deep characterization of how person can endure an extraordinary condition within the beyond-extraordinary situation. At it’s core, this film is many things. It’s not just a sci-fi action film. It has some serious undertones from oppression and intolerant to the evil things that man is capable of. What makes it more satisfying, the ending is open to a highly anticipated sequel (better check it by yourself). In the end, this is a really must must must must see movie of the year. It's already in my top 3, after UP and Star Trek.
My Rating : 9/10
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