District 9
Perhaps it's a good thing that the plans for a Halo movie fell through. A few years ago, the wildly popular, action-packed video game series was poised for the big screen treatment courtesy of producer Peter Jackson. The man behind the hugely successful Lord of the Rings cinematic trilogy had hand-picked an unknown filmmaker named Neill Blomkamp to direct the colossally budgeted video game adaptation. The Halo movie was seemingly mere steps away from production, but then the entire project collapsed under rumours of a ballooning budget. But Jackson and Blomkamp were still eager to work together, so they searched for a project through which they could combine their talents. A while later, District 9 was born.
A modestly budgeted (just $30 million), feature-length update of Blomkamp's 2005 short film Alive in Joburg, District 9 develops an intriguing 'what if' scenario regarding aliens arriving on Earth. What if slimy, crustacean-like creatures planted their colossal spaceship over Johannesburg (instead of the usual locales like New York City or Washington, D.C.) on a sunny day in 1982 (the same year that E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial hit theatres in our reality)? And what if those slimy aliens were malnourished beings with no means to power their ship back home and no intentions of hurting us?
According to Blomkamp's rough-and-tumble sci-fi yarn, the government would step in and set up slums in a grimy neighbourhood (the District 9 of the title) and force the aliens to live in squalor. In the movie's gripping opening moments, a faux documentary chronicles the arrival of the aliens and the initial attempts to integrate them into society. Through beautifully crafted news footage, we witness the decline of the human-alien relations, as rioting takes over Johannesburg and various areas of the city bear signs stating that "non-humans" are not welcome there.
Before long, the plot kicks in twenty years later, where a shadowy organization called Multi-National United (MNU) is heavily involved in the alien situation. We meet clumsy, friendly MNU employee Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley, providing a fantastic, layered performance), who is chosen to spearhead an alien relocation program. The job is potentially dangerous, because the powerful aliens are not expected to go quietly, but Wikus approaches his new duties with a smile and an optimistic attitude.
One of District 9's most prominent charms is its ability to surprise, so to provide any further plot synopsis would run the risk of ruining the fun. From the moment that Wikus heads out to District 9 to serve the relocation papers, the plot begins to swerve in an exciting manner that should wake up a few viewers left numb by this summer's weak crop of effects-driven blockbusters. The script (credited to Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell) is an intelligent mixture of topical themes and old-fashioned thrills. District 9 is a movie with a heart and a brain, two important elements often missing from contemporary science fiction cinema.
The political and sociological ideas that feel so refreshingly at home in the genre eventually take a back seat to the inexpensive (but still hugely impressive) effects and stunts that fill the movie's final act. And since Blomkamp does such a good job of making us sympathize with the aliens, it's a bit frustrating to see him sentimentalize portions of the movie with the use of obviously heartstring-tugging music. But these are minor quibbles in the grand scheme of Blomkamp's vision. District 9 is a very entertaining movie that accomplishes more with a $30 million budget than most 2009 blockbusters have done with $200 million budgets. That feat alone is worthy of considerable applause.
District 9 does many things very well, but I feel that its most promising accomplishment is putting Neill Blomkamp on the cinematic map. Based on his handling of this material, he is the real deal, a passionate storyteller with big ideas and the necessary skills to back them up. District 9 whips along at a crackling pace and the movie boasts some wonderful imagery. Perhaps best of all, I cannot wait to see what Blomkamp does next. A sequel to District 9 is probably quite likely, but I am confident that he has many more engaging ideas that he is eager to explore. His feature debut is an excellent introduction to his style and considerable abilities. Wherever he goes from here, I will be watching and waiting, joyfully anticipating Neill Blomkamp's future cinematic forays.
