Twenty years ago an alien race landed in South Africa, stranded. They become unwilling refugees, trapped in a slum known as District 9. The people of Johannesburg don’t want them around and the aliens, or “prawns” as they are called, would like nothing better than to leave.
District 9 reminds us of the horrible things humans are capable of while making the alien movie genre fresh again. Humans are the oppressors and the prawns are the oppressed. The movie isn’t overly political but the message is there. The story is intriguing and original. It’s not heart wrenching but you might feel some sympathy for the aliens.
The movie is shot in a documentary style which I could have done without but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the film. The news reporter style segments pulled me out of the story unnecessarily but they’re infrequent.
With Peter Jackson and his top-notch special effects team on board, the special effects are, as expected, gorgeous. The aliens are impressive and move like you would expect them to. The alien weaponry felt almost cartoonish in their destructiveness but they fit the style of the film.
Overall I enjoyed District 9. It’s something new in what feels like a genre that has gone stale with copy cat movies.
I finally gave in and saw