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'District 9': Indie movie in disguise
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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com
The marketing of "District 9" makes this film appear to be a non-stop action, sci-fi gorefest when in reality this movie goes beyond the genre touching on themes that are far more interesting.
Taking place in a Johannesburg, South Africa, this mockumentary-shot film shows footage of the a government unit, Multinational United (MNU), containing and deporting the extraterrestrial life, derogatorily called "prawns," from District 9 to another location, District 10. MNU Director Piet Smit (Louis Minnaar) chooses his son-in-law, Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) to head this operation of transporting the aliens. However, being exposed to a foreign liquid on the site, he notices he is not feeling like himself...
From the beginning, this film pulls you in to what is going on in this too-close-to-home realistic depiction. After the film's midpoint, there is an action sequence that does go on for too long when it should have focused more of the plot holes. The story is engaging and there's actually just as much story as there is special effects. Idea of xenophobia, corporate politics, and forced evictions are seen throughout and told creatively that could be related to actual events. In fact, one of the influences of the film was South Africa's District Six in the 1970s. The other being this is an adaptation of director Neill Blomkamp's short film, "Alive in Joburg."
"District 9" is an international (New Zealand and South Africa) independent film working with a $30 million as opposed to one of this summer's blockbusters, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with an estimated $200 million budget. After viewing the film, the money used for this project was very well-spent.
This film is rated R for the language and the amount of violence. I highly recommend this film if you are looking for a gritty story that goes beyond bullets and blood. As far as a sequel... it's possible.
For more information: Check you local listings for showtimes or visit "District 9"'s official website.
