District 9

District 9 shows us a world where, in 1989, an alien craft appears over the skies of Johannesburg. Inside is a race of aliens, soon derisively called "Prawns" by humans, who are on the verge of starvation. Why the craft journeyed to Earth, why its controls seem to have failed, and why its crew was in such poor condition is never known.

Mindful of their apartheid past, the government of South Africa extends a welcome to the aliens, but there are immediate conflicts with mankind. The aliens have no respect for private property, have as much propensity for senseless violence as their human counterparts, and soon make a nuisance of themselves. In response to complaints from all quarters, the camp is isolated. By the time the movies opens in the present day, it has descended into a virtual ghetto - District 9.

Enter Wikus van de Merwe, a mild-mannered family man employed by an agency overseeing the camp. During a tour Wikus is infected by a solution manufactured, in secret, by Prawns. When the solution alters his body chemistry Wikus becomes a vital but expendable commodity to the militaristic corporation that controls the District.

He escapes their horrific lab and becomes a wanted man. With no other option he must flee to the area he once helped rule - District 9, and hope that there is someone, human or Prawn, who can help him before it is too late.

District 9 is a very good film, and if not for a last half hour that turns into a standard shoot 'em up, a great one. Despite director Peter Jackson's assertion that apartheid did not overtly factor into his vision, the choice of Johannesburg resonates with history. Here is a segment of the population - albeit one of a different species - that is segregated, viewed as inferior, and treated at times like cattle.

But Jackson isn't trying to vilify a nation. Having the demure Wikus as the protagonist was a grand choice. It reinforces the idea that whatever good/evil the camp spawns is not the byproduct of superhuman archetypes (despite your standard Hollywood Evil Corporation), but of banal everyday folks just doing their job.

And another important aspect of the film: while they deserve none of the more vile treatment they receive, the Prawn are hardly a public relations dream. Jackson shows Prawn that are prone to senseless violence, theft, stupidity, and vice, and they surely don't paint themselves in a good light to a planet that welcomed them in their darkest hour. In other words, the Prawn are nearly human in temperament.

And that makes the conflict between the two species all the more poignant.

3.4 out of 4.