Opinions of a Wolf

Summary:
In this alternate history, 20 years ago an alien spaceship came to a stop over South Africa.  It appears that they broke down over Earth.  They appeared sickly and malnourished, so the South African government set up a shanty town for them just outside of Johannesburg.  Now tensions are increasing between the South Africans and the aliens who they call Prawns.  The government hires a corporation called Multi-National United to come in and forcibly move them 25 kilometers from Johannesburg.  The leader of the project soon discovers the Prawns aren’t exactly what the media has laid them out to be……and neither is Multi-National United.

Review:
I knew as I was watching it that I was going to really like this mockumentary.  Having an alien landing that is neither hostile nor a diplomatic mission from a more advanced species is really creative, as is having the humans hem and haw over what exactly to do with the aliens.  The aliens wind up in no-man’s land, stuck due to red tape and a general lack of consensus.

I also enjoyed that the movie doesn’t establish certain groups as all evil or all good.  There are individuals within the South Africans, the Prawns, and the MNU who are good or evil, just as it actually is in real life.  The main characters are complex, trying to do their best when facing tough decisions.

Now, as for the movie elements, the special effects are amazing.  I kept forgetting that the Prawns were CGI and not actors.  The Prawns’ weapons are exactly what you want out of a scifi film–based on real world weapons, but decidedly more awesome.

There were a few pieces of loose plot that bothered me.  A non-spoiler example is the fact that the Prawns and the humans understand each other, and it’s not explained how that came about or how difficult it might be.  It almost seems as if just anyone can understand the Prawns’ clicking.  Another example is it’s never explained if there are female Prawns or if they are hermaphrodites or what.

A lot of people say that this is about race relations.  I disagree.  While it’s easy to draw out comparisons, I don’t think that’s the main issue in the film.  I think District 9 is more about how groups of people affiliated by nationality interact, and how people do the best they can given the circumstances.

I highly recommend District 9 to scifi and non-scifi lovers alike.

4 out of 5 stars

Source: Redbox

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