Obsidian Potency 3.0
[Review] District 9
posted Monday, 24 August 2009
District 9
I saw District 9 on Saturday night, and I was both extremely impressed and somewhat disappointed.
I was impressed because a big-budget Hollywood movie managed to do the almost-unthinkable: provide the viewer with the execution of an original science-fiction premise rife with deeper sociological questions and implications. Basically, District 9 asks: "What would humans do if a spaceship with almost 2 million alien refugees got stranded over one of the world's largest cities?"
The answer is about what you'd expect: after getting stranded above Johannesburg, the aliens get herded into a refugee camp from which the movie takes its title, and over 20 years the camp deteriorates into a slum. The film is shot in documentary style (at least during the first 2/3rds), and the plot follows a white South African of Boer descent working for a multinational organization in charge of the situation -- an organization eventually tasked with relocating the aliens to a new site. During a routine house visit, the shit hits the fan and our protagonist is forced to deal with a completely altered reality and perspective of the situation.
The direction is visually striking without going overboard into Cloverfield territory. The special effects are convincing enough to be impressive, and the film actually ends up being rather violently gory in several moments. It is well-acted by a relatively unknown cast; perhaps most importantly, the reactions of all the major characters seem realistic and visceral throughout the film. The audience is mostly on the edge of its seat, and Neill Blomkamp (the director and co-writer) manages to throw in several unexpected plot twists and turns.
Unfortunately, there are some issues that only a director's cut might solve -- and still others that might not be remedied even in an extended version. One problem was the utter lack of alien perspective on their refugee status. Do they have a representative communicating with the South African government or the U.N.? What do they want? When do they want it? Where were they going, and what went wrong? Considering that the humans and aliens can understand each others' languages, and considering they had been there for 20 years, it seems ridiculous that (apparently) nobody on earth attempted to get the answers to these questions. Something tells me a director's cut might help to answer these questions.
If there was any doubt about whether or not the writer of the film was South African, Blomkamp answered them with his treatment of Nigerians. One hundred percent of the Nigerians in the world of District 9 are irredeemable, one-dimensional caricatures: thugs, gangsters, prostitutes, witch doctors and barbarians who engage in just about every type of sleazy behavior imaginable. Imagine a season of 24 where every Arab character was evil, or where Jack Bauer encountered no allies of the same race as the bad guys: there would be protests and charges of racism.
Sadly, Blomkamp's low opinion of Nigerians reflects the perceptions of a large number of South Africans of all races, due to the fact that Nigerians in South Africa are disproportionately involved in organized crime. Still, is this any different from using immigration statistics in the U.S. to create a movie in which all Latino immigrants are illegal? Disproportionate numbers are not a license to reinforce broad, unflattering stereotypes. The demonization of Nigerians in District 9 is much more blatant than any comparable material in Transformers 2.
Worst of all, I found myself shocked once the extent of the aliens' advanced technology and weaponry was revealed. With weapons like those, how the hell could humans have made the aliens into second-class citizens? There's no way 2 million "prawns" would have taken this fate lying down -- not when they had hand-held weapons capable of destroying several armored vehicles each. It just didn't make any sense.
In spite of these flaws, the originality, social message (aside from the racism), and intelligent pacing of District 9 make it a quality film. It gets 4 Obsidian Reels along with the hope that Hollywood can continue to challenge viewers with films combining familiar genre entertainment with potent social messages.
I saw District 9 on Saturday night, and I was both extremely impressed and somewhat disappointed.
I was impressed because a big-budget Hollywood movie managed to do the almost-unthinkable: provide the viewer with the execution of an original science-fiction premise rife with deeper sociological questions and implications. Basically, District 9 asks: "What would humans do if a spaceship with almost 2 million alien refugees got stranded over one of the world's largest cities?"
The answer is about what you'd expect: after getting stranded above Johannesburg, the aliens get herded into a refugee camp from which the movie takes its title, and over 20 years the camp deteriorates into a slum. The film is shot in documentary style (at least during the first 2/3rds), and the plot follows a white South African of Boer descent working for a multinational organization in charge of the situation -- an organization eventually tasked with relocating the aliens to a new site. During a routine house visit, the shit hits the fan and our protagonist is forced to deal with a completely altered reality and perspective of the situation.
The direction is visually striking without going overboard into Cloverfield territory. The special effects are convincing enough to be impressive, and the film actually ends up being rather violently gory in several moments. It is well-acted by a relatively unknown cast; perhaps most importantly, the reactions of all the major characters seem realistic and visceral throughout the film. The audience is mostly on the edge of its seat, and Neill Blomkamp (the director and co-writer) manages to throw in several unexpected plot twists and turns.
Unfortunately, there are some issues that only a director's cut might solve -- and still others that might not be remedied even in an extended version. One problem was the utter lack of alien perspective on their refugee status. Do they have a representative communicating with the South African government or the U.N.? What do they want? When do they want it? Where were they going, and what went wrong? Considering that the humans and aliens can understand each others' languages, and considering they had been there for 20 years, it seems ridiculous that (apparently) nobody on earth attempted to get the answers to these questions. Something tells me a director's cut might help to answer these questions.
If there was any doubt about whether or not the writer of the film was South African, Blomkamp answered them with his treatment of Nigerians. One hundred percent of the Nigerians in the world of District 9 are irredeemable, one-dimensional caricatures: thugs, gangsters, prostitutes, witch doctors and barbarians who engage in just about every type of sleazy behavior imaginable. Imagine a season of 24 where every Arab character was evil, or where Jack Bauer encountered no allies of the same race as the bad guys: there would be protests and charges of racism.
Sadly, Blomkamp's low opinion of Nigerians reflects the perceptions of a large number of South Africans of all races, due to the fact that Nigerians in South Africa are disproportionately involved in organized crime. Still, is this any different from using immigration statistics in the U.S. to create a movie in which all Latino immigrants are illegal? Disproportionate numbers are not a license to reinforce broad, unflattering stereotypes. The demonization of Nigerians in District 9 is much more blatant than any comparable material in Transformers 2.
Worst of all, I found myself shocked once the extent of the aliens' advanced technology and weaponry was revealed. With weapons like those, how the hell could humans have made the aliens into second-class citizens? There's no way 2 million "prawns" would have taken this fate lying down -- not when they had hand-held weapons capable of destroying several armored vehicles each. It just didn't make any sense.
In spite of these flaws, the originality, social message (aside from the racism), and intelligent pacing of District 9 make it a quality film. It gets 4 Obsidian Reels along with the hope that Hollywood can continue to challenge viewers with films combining familiar genre entertainment with potent social messages.
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