DISTRICT 9. Science fiction film like no other
The state of contemporary science fiction cinema, a film genre that holds a special place in my heart, doesn’t look too bright. What am I babbling about? It looks tragic! Instead of genuine, vivid science fiction in the style of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, or the first part of The Matrix, we’re fed with infantile junk like Alien vs. Predator, the third Terminator, or the true anti-masterpiece in this category – Michael Bay’s Transformers.
And where is real science fiction? If I remember correctly, the last truly good films in this genre were Event Horizon from 1997 and the aforementioned first part of The Matrix – younger than it by just under two years. All in all, a substantial chunk of time, and though there have been a few films over these dozen or so years that can be called decent (like Sunshine and the third installment of The Matrix), it’s definitely not enough to satisfy genre enthusiasts. Science fiction fans have descended into the underground, where they voraciously consumed books on the subject, revisited tried-and-true film classics of the genre… and waited. They waited for a new king to come and clean up this whole mess. Ladies and gentlemen, the moment has arrived! Here comes District 9!
The film originated as an expansion of a short, DIY-made film titled Alive in Joburg, which sparked considerable interest from Peter Jackson (that nice guy from Braindead, The Lord of the Rings, and the King Kong. Remember him?). This amateur work inspired him so much that Peter thought, “What if we turn this into a full-length film?” As he thought, so he did, and largely from his own pocket, he financed the production of the film, appointing Neill Blomkamp as the director – a previously unknown director, a novice in shooting science fiction films. Blomkamp, however, possessed the qualities highly valued by Peter Jackson – dedication and passion. Perhaps thanks to this, despite modest funds and a lack of Hollywood support (the film is a joint production of South Africa and New Zealand), District 9 turned out to be a film so gripping and extraordinary.
Briefly about the plot, but without spoilers: When a large alien ship appears over Johannesburg, the entire human civilization expects something extraordinary to happen. And what? Nothing – no celestial lights, no technological progress, not even an invasion. The aliens remain on Earth as refugees for the next 28 years. A private company, “Multi-National United” (MNU), tasked with taking control of the newcomers, resettles them in an improvised, South African district codenamed District 9. However, no one knows that MNU has its own agenda and has already taken steps to produce weapons based on alien technology. When MNU employee Wikus van der Merwe (played excellently by Sharlto Copley) unexpectedly becomes the key to unraveling the mystery of alien weapons, a race begins, and the outcome could determine the fate of two cosmic civilizations. This story, although initially may seem banal, provides ample room for considerations focused not on aliens but on… ourselves. Also, the setting where the film takes place has its own symbolic dimension.
The way District 9 was realized is noteworthy. It takes the form of a… documentary and reportage, including interviews, speeches, and archival photos. Most scenes were shot “by hand,” and some shots were captured in a truly unusual way – for example, with an industrial camera on the corner of a building. Inventive, one might say, and techniques like this one further enhance the impression that District 9 is not science fiction, but a true depiction of reality – not a staged vision of the encounter of two alien civilizations but… simply the truth. Blomkamp’s film, unlike any other, creates an illusion that absorbs completely, and after the screening, it leaves behind many, often very important questions. “Was it really just a movie?”
The other technical aspects of the film are equally unusual and amazing, as are the cinematography. The sound is excellent and raises no objections. The music is also extraordinary and, thanks to ethnic influences (remember that the film was made in South Africa), completely different from what we can hear in American science fiction films. As for the special effects, after watching District 9, Michael Bay probably spent a long and painful time tearing his hair out – what we have the pleasure of admiring in Blomkamp’s film looks much better and more authentic than what we could see in any part of Transformers – let’s add that one that is about… 10 times more expensive than District 9. The good impression is further enhanced by the brutality, which the director did not shy away from (and rightly so), as well as the profanity, the concentration of which is no less than in Quentin Tarantino‘s films. Blomkamp and Jackson avoided half-measures as much as they could, making their joint work a strong, genuine, pure-blooded science fiction.
In today’s world, film producers like Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay already spend not tens of millions, but hundreds of millions of dollars, creating action-packed and visually stunning images. And what’s the result? Well, nothing. Meanwhile, Neill Blomkamp and Peter Jackson, for relatively small money (at least by today’s film production standards), have created strong, distinctive science fiction that beats everything created in this genre over the last decade. District 9 is not just masterfully thought-out science fiction. It’s a film like no other.
The review was written by Michal Jaszcz.
EDITORIAL team