District 9, a faux documentary, violent sci-fi action extravaganza, social message film brought to you by producer Peter Jackson and first time director Neill Blomkamp is at times brilliant and at times ridiculously stupid. The film is based on a short film from Blomkamp called Alive in Joberg. The first half of the film is amazing but from that point on, the film degrades into the bastard stepchild of Transformers and Terminator Salvation. It really is a shame because District 9 could’ve been one of the best sci-fi films ever. I generally make it a point not to expose plot points in my reviews but I don’t think I can express what I loved and hated about the film without doing so. That being said, there may be some spoilers ahead, so read on at your own risk.

The film starts as a documentary and quickly fills in the backstory that brings the film to the present. In 1982, a large alien space craft flies over Johannesburg, South Africa, only to hover over the city motionless. After 3 months of zero activity, the government cuts its way into the ship to discover aliens that can only be described as a cross between humans and shrimp with a little cockroach thrown in for good measure. The aliens (known as Prawns) are found helpless and dying after their leaders all mysteriously died. They are brought to Earth where they are segregated into a ghetto known as District 9. The aliens are depicted as evil, animal like creatures and through interviews with different people on the documentary we discover that humans have become intolerant of the aliens and want them to just go away. There are many sci-fi films that feature alien invasions and they always ask the same question; what are the aliens going to do to us? District 9 flips that on it head and instead asks what would we do to them and this provides serious food for thought. Based on all of the racial injustices throughout human history from Apartheid to Jews being placed in concentration camps during World War II, the film comes off as very truthful. We as prejudiced based humans would probably treat alien visitors with hostility and social injustice. It is here that the film shines and is worthy of praise and I wish the filmmaker would’ve explored these themes more.

In present day, the government has decided to move the Prawns from their current slum to a more controlled environment known as District 10, which is truly more of a concentration camp. The government sends their agents known as MRU (Military Research Unit or Murderers R Us; not sure which) to facilitate the move. Working with the government is a corporation that really wants to learn more about the aliens’ technologically advanced weaponry. As they move into District 9 to evict the aliens, the humans are shown for the evil louts that they are as they bully and kill the Prawn mercilessly. This is all filmed in documentary style and we also learn that the aliens have also been exploited by a crime lord who has been profiting from the aliens by trading cat food (the Prawns are addicted to it) and meat in return for their guns and money. The film never answers how any of the aliens would have money, but whatever. The problem that both the crime lord and the military have is that the Prawns weapons do not work for humans and can only be used when interacting with alien DNA. 

The company sends in one of their geeky employees, Wikus Van De Merwe (a brilliant Sharlto Copley) to handle the eviction and get each alien to sign a form that gives their consent for the move. This is one of the first things that struck me as demented. Would a government hell bent on stealing weaponry from these aliens be concerned about eviction forms? I understand that they did this to be politically correct but it is quite clear from the interviews with the citizens of Johannesburg that no one cares how the aliens are taken away, they just want them gone. It is never really clear who, if anybody cares about the rights of these creatures. As Wilkus goes from shack to shack searching for weapons, he discovers a device that seems dangerous and decides to confiscate it. As he is examining the device, it spurts a black oil like liquid all over his face and soon after he starts to become sick; throwing up black liquid, teeth and fingernails falling off, etc. It here that the film abandons the documentary format and where District 9 begins to come off the rails. 

It seems the liquid is turning Wilkus into one of the aliens and he is taken to a secret facility where he becomes a human (alien?) guinea pig. At this point Wilkus’ arm has become alien and the company uses him to fire the Prawns weapons. Seeing as he is the first human to survive as a hybrid, they plan to cut him up and research his organs so that they can duplicate the process. Wilkus escapes and District 9 turns into The Fugitive on acid. Wilkus take refuge in the only place he won’t be found, District 9 and meets a Prawn who is actually intelligent, known as Christopher. Christopher is a brilliant scientist and a caring father and is the only Prawn featured in the movie that is shown to have any “humanity”. This is also one of my biggest problems with District 9. I understand that the living conditions the aliens are forced into drives them to become like animals, but there aren’t any other Prawns who are intelligent and caring? I find this tricky to believe and it makes it even more difficult to care about their fate. It seems Christopher is the one that collected the black oil that is transforming Wilkus and it is the only thing that will power the spaceship so that the aliens can at long last return home. This is another flaw in the film. The oil can power a starship and alter a man’s DNA? It has more functions than a can of WD-40. Christopher promises Wilkus that he can cure him if they can get to the spaceship, unfortunately, it has taken him 20 years to collect the liquid and without it there’s nothing he can do. Wilkus and Christopher then decide to break into the facility where the oil is being kept and this is where District 9 becomes a mind numbing, testosterone laced, action flick. The last hour of the film seems to last for 4 hours and all the originality of the film is drained away. It becomes no different than Terminator Salvation or Transformers.

The acting is first rate, especially Sharlto Copley and the effects are very good. If anything, District 9 shows the promise of a brilliant filmmaker in Neill Blomkamp. If he were able to sustain the intelligence of the first half of the film throughout the whole movie, instead of turning the film into a cliché sci-fi action film, District 9 would’ve been one of the best sci-fi films of all time. I would be more forgiving of the film if they had at least cut down the length of the action scenes. District 9 could’ve been a half hour shorter and been a way better film. It is true that sometimes less is more.

To sum it up, District 9 is an original, intelligent, well thought out story that serves as a mirror to the social injustice and racism that runs rampant through our “human” society that dissolves into a overly violent, overly long, standard sci-fi action flick. The first half makes it a film worth watching, but the second half will leave you with a headache. Knowing what I know now about how the movie changes course, I can only hope that I will enjoy District 9 more a second time around.