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District 9 (2009)

Director: Neill Blomkamp

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68 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Click here for an in-depth look at 'District 9'

Science-fiction and politics used to be inextricably intertwined, with sci-fi shedding light on contemporary issues through the construction of fantastic, allegorical worlds. Blame George Lucas, blame the studio money men, but sci-fi has become a largely escapist genre: dime store romance for white males. Not that there’s anything wrong with escapism, as Neill Blomkamp demonstrates in the latter half of his debut feature, ‘District 9’. But he sets up his political agenda first, and the result pays dividends both as ideology and entertainment.

The place is present-day Johannesburg, a recognisably gritty, crime-filled metropolis on the brink of permanent collapse. But in Blomkamp’s South Africa there’s a new underclass: a race of immigrant aliens known as ‘prawns’, survivors of a dying planet searching for a new home. Our guide into this world is Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), a self-satisfied middle manager for shady global corporation MNU, whose task is to contain the prawns within their hastily constructed inner city slum, District 9.

It would have been easy for Blomkamp to play the film as a straight Apartheid metaphor, a blunt but rather outdated critique of inequality. But ‘District 9’ has a more pressing and timely agenda: it’s about the legacy of that hateful regime, how its insidious influence has produced a country where the previously disenfranchised black citizenry are beginning to turn on an even more deprived social group: immigrants. And so the film becomes a portrait of cyclical segregation, with the prawns as a catch-all metaphor for displaced asylum seekers worldwide.

But ‘District 9’ is no dry socio-political treatise. The opening scenes use newsflashes, ad breaks and to-camera interviews to set up the complex backstory, but these distancing techniques fall away as our focus narrows on Wikus, who is beginning to experience grotesque bodily transformations after accidentally ingesting a mysterious alien fluid. The climactic sequences – as MNU’s hunt for the renegade Wikus causes widespread and violent disruption – eschew subtext entirely in favour of nailbiting, brain-splattering action, but it’s unlikely many viewers will begrudge Blomkamp’s decision to cut loose.

With the film’s finale – and Stateside success – leaving the stage set for a potential ‘District 10’, perhaps we’re witnessing a new dawn for politically engaged sci-fi and horror, with Blomkamp as a latter-day George Romero. Either way, this is a stunningly impressive debut.

Click here for an in-depth look at 'District 9'

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 2037: 3 - 9 September, 2009

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User reviews of this film

A further issue is that v said...

Posted on Mar 31 2012 07:05 A further issue is that video games are tlcipalyy serious naturally with the principal focus on finding out rather than enjoyment. Although, it has an entertainment factor to keep children engaged, each and every game is normally designed to develop a specific group of skills or course, such as math concepts or technology. Thanks for your write-up.

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Far as I'm concerned, you said...

Posted on Mar 31 2012 03:34 Far as I'm concerned, your utpade schedule is totally up to you. Just because you're doing something awesome on the internet, doesn't give the internet any right to tell you how.I will say, though, that there's something uniquely thrilling about regular utpades in serialized fiction. Having a whole book in front of you is one thing but having a good book produced and made available on a faithful schedule is something really special. It seems that even the best can't keep this up for very long, not while maintaining quality, [cf. life, etc.] but you did for quite awhile, and I really appreciated that.Since you mentioned it, though, why is strong moderation censorship? You wouldn't be denying folks the right to express their views, just the ability to do so right here in the comment thread that you pay to maintain. If you want to scrub your readers' fouler effluvia, isn't that up to you?

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bob marly said...

Posted on Jan 31 2012 11:10 this film is shit end off its got so many misstakes!

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Jason said...

Posted on Jul 30 2010 17:10 Ignore some of the morons on here. This is an exceptional film. Highly recommended!

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me said...

Posted on Feb 28 2010 23:15 Don't bother totally crap unthought out tripe, with lick arse journalists praising it,

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chris th twat said...

Posted on Jan 24 2010 03:57 Anythings better than The Hangover

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Martin said...

Posted on Jan 08 2010 11:33 A truly great sci-fi with amazing CGI, loved it. definetly one of the years best films.

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seafire said...

Posted on Jan 03 2010 19:13 I've been waiting for this film to land - saw reviews etc when I was in SA in October, but I'm obviously a bit out-of-date as it's coming out on DVD in a week or two - fantastic. I love the off-beat look to the film. The crit I read said they'd taken a lot of different themes and mashed them all together, but hey, the critic's life could probably be seen as that too, should anyone bother to make a film about him or her. There seem to be a spate of mutant heroes atm - but at least it came out before Avatar.

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Mae said...

Posted on Jan 02 2010 01:48 I meant 'Predator' not 'Terminator'.

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Mae said...

Posted on Jan 02 2010 01:45 Absolutely BORING! I can only describe it as a combination of the 'the blair witch project' (hand held camera angles which makes you want to vomit), 'terminator' (alien technology), and transformers (some of the fight scenes). Lame storyline and incredibly SLOW........

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elfonzo bonzo said...

Posted on Oct 27 2009 23:40 People, Watch this film!! There's a new talent on the block. his name is neill Bloomkamp and he's made a Sci-fi film that feels fresh and original. Also give the lead actor an oscar. he grounds the film with such a wonderful versatile performance. Don't watch crap like Saw 6. Watch this instead.

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Gavin said...

Posted on Oct 22 2009 06:20 Sorry but i have to say this and hope that people read my comment. Ok fair play, everyone is entitled to an oppinion etc. However for those with comments like "WALKED OUT , BORED" . is it because there was subtitles and u had to read? was there not enough Rocky , or Ben Stiller for you?
Sorry it just really bugs me , i have seen every so called BLOCKBUSTER this year from Rise of the Fallen , GI Joe to that other tosh what was it? The Ugly Truth!
Anyone that likes, Aliens, Predator , real Sci Fi films with something new and refreshing, this is a great film. Im left gutted at the ending wanting more. A truly offkey and very strange film alot like The Watchmen in the sense i was a bit lost and baffled (Again waiting for a Bruce Willis to jump on screen.)
A BLOODY GREAT FILM!
Honestly to all those that think its dull , or boring please stick to your "Sex and the city movies" cos thats original haha!
LONG LIVE THE GEEKS XXX

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_Matt_1977_ said...

Posted on Oct 15 2009 16:52 A very solid, thoughtful, sensitive and entertaining film, if a mite predictable from time to time. The best of a trio I've seen recently (Pandorum, Dorian Gray, District 9). Never thought you could develop an emotional attachment to a 7 foot prawn in a waistcoat? You can.

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rick said...

Posted on Oct 14 2009 21:14 Poor Jenny. The hand-held camera made her sea-sick so she didn't bother to watch the rest of the movie. Stay away from the cinema, Jenny. (And the Time Out comment pages as well, for that matter). There are plenty of soap-operas on TV ideally suited to your short attention span. Jeesuz, how do these morons manage to dress themselves each morning?

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V said...

Posted on Oct 08 2009 16:20 Intelligent - not

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