"District 9"

If I had to describe this film in one word, it would be "outstanding." If I had to do it in two words, I would say "fucking outstanding."

Twenty years prior, an alien mothership came to a halt in the airspace directly over Johannesburg, South Africa. When the ship had shown no signs of movement for three months after coming to perch (or hover, I guess), humans broke into it in and found a tired and frightened race of aliens. These were, at first glance, not your telekinetic, telepathic, super-advanced extraterrestrials. They even scurried to hide in the dark from the invading humans. It seems that a part of their ship integral to its functioning had fallen to Earth, leaving them stranded and helpless. From this point, the aliens were "re-settled" into District 9, a large area in South Africa segregated from the human population.

Leap forward twenty years to the present. District 9 has devolved into a veritable slum, a la the "City of God." Here aliens mix with Nigerian rebels who profit through trading weapons with "non-humans" and providing them with cat food (which is apparently an alien treat). The shady MNU coroporation is taxed with the responsibility of relocating the non-human population from the slums of District 9 to a "concentration camp-like" District 10 (albeit with a sweet little brochure), complete with rows and rows of tidy, identical white tents. Hapless and bumbling MNU employee Wikus Van De Merwe is promoted by his father-in-law to be in charge of the eviction and re-location. On the first day of eviction, Wikus has an accidental exposure to an unidentified fluid and begins to slowly transform from human to alien, sprouting a claw in place of his injured human hand. MNU develops alternate plans for Wikus as he is now the only human who can operate alien weaponry (which is, incidentally, much more powerful than the human-kind and was developed so that it can only be used by those with the extraterrestrial biological make-up). He has become the key to the exploitation of non-human technology by MNU, and he is worth more dead than alive. Wikus must now turn to the only place where he can regain his human form and reclaim his life: District 9.

Going into this movie, I (correctly) took for granted that the special effects and action sequences would be stellar. While the creatures are mostly CGI, they exude a genuine feel rather than coming off too sterile or digital. The heart of this movie is the story of a relationship between individuals of different species, an alliance that is mutually beneficial (or more precisely, absolutely necessary) yet potentially deadly. This is not just a film about aliens--it is a story of humanity and inhumanity. And, as would likely be the case, the humans are the most inhumane. This plot echoes every time in history that one particular group (whether it be racial, religious, socioeconomic) has been exploited, segregated, or systematically exterminated by others. The "non-humans" in this movie are the World War II-era Jews under Nazi law. They are the pre-Civil War-era African-Americans in the USA. They are the innocent civilians in Darfur. Their population is decimated and they are driven to crime through deliberate segregation and poverty. Twenty years prior, they just wanted to go home. In the present, they just want to survive and avoid persecution. That "District 9" was filmed in actual shacks in a section of Johannesburg is a testament to the reality that is reflected throughout the film. This subject is expertly handled by writer Neill Blomkamp, who grew up experiencing apartheid in South Africa.

In all other aspects this flick rates as a top notch Sci-fi/Horror/Action hybrid. It is an overall fantastic cinematic achievement, and it gives us promise for a sequel (PLEASE!!!!).

Bottom Line: Sorry, I shot my wad explaining the film. Do not miss this movie. And see if you can avoid clapping by the time the credits roll.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 dead flies.