DISTRICT 9
By Jake Zimmerman & Ryan Bailey
Summary
District 9 details the story of an alien race that had
been stranded in space, after an unknown force
evicted them from their home planet.
The movie does not show why they left, but they
become unwanted refugees in Johannesburg, South
Africa.
When they arrive, the mothership hovers over the
city. After pondering what to do, the nations of the
world decide to enter the mothership and
investigate.
Inside, they find a band of aliens.
Teh h4x0rz get inseids teh motharshipz!!!!!!!1!!!
The District
District 9 is essentially a ghetto/slum populated by aliens. It
was created as a temporary housing solution for the aliens
so that the aliens and humans would be mostly unable to
mingle.
However, District 9 quickly became a permanent
installation.
With rising pressure from the citizens of the surrounding
cities, the company overseeing the slum, Multi National
United (MNU), is forced to create a more permanent housing
solution for the aliens far away from Johannesburg.
Evicting the aliens from their homes proves more difficult
than expected and a vast network of corruption and
mistreatment of aliens within MNU is soon uncovered.
District 9
District 6
While the situations depicted in this film are entirely fictitious, in real life there are
instances of great injustices being done against a particular group of people.
District 9 illustrates the human rights tragedy that occurred in South Africa in the 1970s,
apartheid.
In 1966, District 6 was declared a “whites-only” area. The government portrayed it as a
crime-infested slum and that it had to be destroyed. Under apartheid, the government
also asserted that interracial interaction created problems.
Evictions began in 1968 and by 1982, over 60,000 people were relocated to a place called
Cape Flats, which was a less than desirable area, around 16 miles away. Almost all of the
buildings in District 6 were razed and then left mostly undeveloped.
Since the end of apartheid in 1994, former residents have been getting land back and
rebuilding has been supported by the government.
Like the true events of District 6, the movie District 9 shows the government discriminating
against aliens and keeping them separate, just like it did in the original apartheid. When
the eviction of the people of District 6 was ordered, little regard was given to how it would
affect the lives of the people living there. Similarly, MNU did not care if the move aversely
affected the aliens.
Weapon testing on alien target
District 9
Ryan’s Review
I absolutely loved District 9, and have watched it
multiple times. It presents the story in a way that
makes it seem totally plausible. The acting, realism,
and professional VFX make this movie one of my
favorites. I prefer this low-budget movie to its
competitor for awards, Avatar, because of
believability.
Most importantly, though, is the relevance to
modern society. The aliens represent refugees or
groups of people who are very different. They are
given the derogatory term “prawn,” which implies
the same thing terms used against humans do.
Jake’s Review
District 9 was a medium budget film that managed to
attain praise from many critics due to its compelling plot
and excellent acting.
I thoroughly enjoyed the film because its subject was
completely foreign, yet related to real life. The excellent
writing and impressive acting are able to tell the story in
a compelling way that engrossed me and created an
immersive setting within which the premise of an alien
apartheid flourishes.
If forced to created a list of my favorite specimens of
cinematography, District 9 would be ranked highly with
other pioneers in its genre such as Alien and Star Wars:
The Empire Strikes Back.
District 9 is an INCREDIBLE
movie. It is definitely worth your
time, although it is a quite gory.
This smaller budget film was able
to achieve commendations equal
to other “blockbuster” movies
such as Avatar.
Bibliograpy
District 9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Darfur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_Six,_Cape_Town