The Telescope

Issue Date: 8/24/09

'District 9' excels despite inconsistencies

By Eric Walker

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo

"District 9" can't decide what kind of movie it wants to be. It starts off as a mockumentary, introducing an alternate version of today's world - though a slightly unbelievable one, then it becomes a generic sci-fi action movie full of explosions and swearing.
When aliens land in Johannesburg and are promptly penned away in slums or concentration camps, it is a not-so-subtle nod to 1960s-era racial segregation in South Africa. But the movie abandons its allegories and moves on to become a suspenseful tale about a fugitive.
The protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), is a bumbling but lovable worker for the weapons manufacturer Multi-National United, who ends up managing the camps where the aliens live. One day while on a routine patrol, he is forced to abandon his wife (Vanessa Haywood) and become a fugitive living in the slums.
At this point the documentary-style is abandoned and the film moves on to exploding bodies and alien weapons.
Although the special effects are well done, the blood and swearing get out of hand. According to screenit.com, the "F-bomb" alone is used over 137 times, which seems excessive even with an R rating.
Copley is consistent with his acting even when the movie switches to the guns-and-explosions phase. None of the actors in the film are "stars" in the traditional sense, so it's easy to see a person as "Wikus van der Merwe" rather than, say, "Nicholas Cage with a bad hairdo."
The film's casting is excellent, but due to the shooting location, many of the characters speak with heavy accents. It adds to the authenticity, but it can be difficult to understand the dialogue. Subtitles are used randomly, even when the characters speak clear English.
The leaps in logic required to believe in its premise is the biggest problem with the film. The aliens can suddenly understand English and vice-versa, but neither race can speak the other race's language. This leads to some bizarre "Han-and-Chewie" moments when humans interact with the creatures.
The documentary style is brought back in what seems to be an awkward attempt at a symbolic and ambiguous ending, but it is executed poorly.
The narrative is thrilling, and the actors are some of the best unknowns in recent memory. It's definitely worth checking out - if you can handle the gratuitous swearing and exploding bodies, that is.

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