The alien invasion thriller is pretty well-worn territory: evil, ill-tempered aliens invade Earth, but humans (usually freedom-touting Americans with fancy machinery) prevail and mankind is saved. If you were expecting District 9 to be just another Independence Day-esque action film, well, think again. District 9 introduces an entirely new way of viewing extra-terrestrial visitors, as well as close-to-home commentary on human nature.
Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, District 9 is a documentary-style film that examines the arrival of aliens to Earth twenty years prior. Through a series of "interviews" with civilians, we learn that the aliens - nicknamed"prawns" - have been forced to integrate with human society, but are met with much prejudice and hardship, confined to a slum called District 9. An organization called the Multi-National United (MNU) strictly controls the lives of prawns, and is led by our insensitive and kind of clueless protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), who shows very little regard for the well-being of the aliens. However, an accident involving a suspicious alien device found in one of the prawns' shacks leaves Wikus with nowhere to turn but to the very creatures he once treated with so little respect. It is then that he learns firsthand about the shockingly cruel treatments the aliens must endure, leading to a climax that will surely have you on the edge of your seat.
District 9 features seamless CGI and an incredible performance by newcomer Sharlto Copley. You'll be surprised by which characters you empathize with as the storyline progresses in a not-so-subtle reference to apartheid. It's an unexpected gem of a film, one that I'd highly recommend seeing.
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