District 9 (B or 3/4 stars)
Want to see Hell on Earth? Then take a stab at 'District 9', directed by Neill Blomkamp & produced by Peter Jackson. The gist: an alien race forced to live in ghetto-like conditions in South Africa suddenly find a savior in a government agent that is physically exposed to their biotechnology. Over 20 yrs. ago, the aliens' giant spaceship arrived at Earth. Disabled, hanging in mid-air, an Earth-bound expedition found its way into the ship. Inside, the humans found alien refugees; the last known survivors of their planet. Sick, & needing assistance, the humans transport these aliens to the ground to help/give them a new home. Surprisingly (to the humans), the aliens never attacked them; nor offer their technological advances. The nations of Earth didn't quite know how to handle these aliens. District 9's one-time refuge descends into concentration camp-like conditions. And so, with time, initial good intentions/relations fall by the wayside. All patience is lost.
Things get dire when a decision is made to transfer the aliens (or Prawns, as they're derogatorily referred to) from their current ghetto-like residences to a small, remote location nearby. And Wikus Van De Merwe (newcomer Sharlto Copley), a nerdy field operative, is asked to lead this relocation mission; & help unlock the secrets of alien technology. We see, however, that he is incompetent to handle the operation, & gets himself into trouble. Tensions rise. The military & the aliens open warfare. And while on duty, Wikus gets contaminated by a DNA-altering alien substance. Furthermore, a rogue alien named Christopher needs help from Wikus to get back to his mother ship (hoping to enable it into lift-off mode; to help his race back on his planet). And Wikus needs Christopher's help with the virus he's been afflicted with. Ostracized, and on the run, can these 2 unlikely allies help each other out; avoiding the ruthless military as they go?
What a movie. It's different, exciting, morally/ethically challenging, & well shot. But I can't say I found it Earth-shattering. And along with The Hurt Locker, I find the gushing critical support for 'District 9' to be a bit drastic. I liked the initial documentary framing device of the movie. There's great mystery to what's going on onscreen. I was drawn-in. But once the narrative takes hold & settles, it all becomes a little familiar & redundant. There's a chunk of time in the middle third of the film which was ... fine. Decent. But I wasn't as enthralled as I was in the first 30-40 minutes. The last half hour is riddled with action film/chase scene cliches, but at least it was exciting again. I mean, on the edge of my seat thrilling. And the last image we see is both heartbreaking & lasting.
Some of the criticism of the film (there hasn't been much) involves some Nigerians in an odd voodoo/gang subplot. I understand how some audiences can be offended by their depiction (as dark, cannibalistic villains). I could have done without them in the story. But I was not offended, personally. Even the film's lack of originality did not bother me (another criticism). I mean, after the enticing racial conflict intro, I thought the film would expand on those allegorical themes. Instead, we're introduced to Wikus, learn a smidge about him, & witness his tumultuous trek through the ghetto. But every film does not have to be "truly" original or full-bodied to be enjoyable. And I DID enjoy it. District 9's political/social commentary is obvious, but handled intelligently. i.e., racist humans can be the real monsters, greedy governments take advantage of the helpless, etc. It's intriguing how our sympathies shift throughout the film.
I found the relationship btwn. Wikus & Christopher to be underdeveloped, but emotionally moving by the end. The 'look' of the film is appropriately gritty. The editing is stellar (the movie moves). The blood & gore is well executed. The visual effects are very believable. The make-up work (when Wikus mutates a la Jeff Goldblum in The Fly) is incredible. The alien species are wonderfully creepy looking. The sound design (not only of the guns, but of the aliens click-tongued language) is amazing. And the musical score got my heart pumping. This is an imperfect sci-fi story with thought-provoking themes & good action. I just felt a certain lack of humanity/gravitas; craved for something more poetic than I got. These types of films need to have both plausibility AND a strong sense of humanity for resonant effect. All in all, the movie's unsettling ending sets itself up very nicely for a possible sequel. And I, for one, look forward to that.
Things get dire when a decision is made to transfer the aliens (or Prawns, as they're derogatorily referred to) from their current ghetto-like residences to a small, remote location nearby. And Wikus Van De Merwe (newcomer Sharlto Copley), a nerdy field operative, is asked to lead this relocation mission; & help unlock the secrets of alien technology. We see, however, that he is incompetent to handle the operation, & gets himself into trouble. Tensions rise. The military & the aliens open warfare. And while on duty, Wikus gets contaminated by a DNA-altering alien substance. Furthermore, a rogue alien named Christopher needs help from Wikus to get back to his mother ship (hoping to enable it into lift-off mode; to help his race back on his planet). And Wikus needs Christopher's help with the virus he's been afflicted with. Ostracized, and on the run, can these 2 unlikely allies help each other out; avoiding the ruthless military as they go?
What a movie. It's different, exciting, morally/ethically challenging, & well shot. But I can't say I found it Earth-shattering. And along with The Hurt Locker, I find the gushing critical support for 'District 9' to be a bit drastic. I liked the initial documentary framing device of the movie. There's great mystery to what's going on onscreen. I was drawn-in. But once the narrative takes hold & settles, it all becomes a little familiar & redundant. There's a chunk of time in the middle third of the film which was ... fine. Decent. But I wasn't as enthralled as I was in the first 30-40 minutes. The last half hour is riddled with action film/chase scene cliches, but at least it was exciting again. I mean, on the edge of my seat thrilling. And the last image we see is both heartbreaking & lasting.
Some of the criticism of the film (there hasn't been much) involves some Nigerians in an odd voodoo/gang subplot. I understand how some audiences can be offended by their depiction (as dark, cannibalistic villains). I could have done without them in the story. But I was not offended, personally. Even the film's lack of originality did not bother me (another criticism). I mean, after the enticing racial conflict intro, I thought the film would expand on those allegorical themes. Instead, we're introduced to Wikus, learn a smidge about him, & witness his tumultuous trek through the ghetto. But every film does not have to be "truly" original or full-bodied to be enjoyable. And I DID enjoy it. District 9's political/social commentary is obvious, but handled intelligently. i.e., racist humans can be the real monsters, greedy governments take advantage of the helpless, etc. It's intriguing how our sympathies shift throughout the film.
I found the relationship btwn. Wikus & Christopher to be underdeveloped, but emotionally moving by the end. The 'look' of the film is appropriately gritty. The editing is stellar (the movie moves). The blood & gore is well executed. The visual effects are very believable. The make-up work (when Wikus mutates a la Jeff Goldblum in The Fly) is incredible. The alien species are wonderfully creepy looking. The sound design (not only of the guns, but of the aliens click-tongued language) is amazing. And the musical score got my heart pumping. This is an imperfect sci-fi story with thought-provoking themes & good action. I just felt a certain lack of humanity/gravitas; craved for something more poetic than I got. These types of films need to have both plausibility AND a strong sense of humanity for resonant effect. All in all, the movie's unsettling ending sets itself up very nicely for a possible sequel. And I, for one, look forward to that.