One of the films of 2009, directed by Neill Blomkamp, with a producer credit for Peter Jackson, opens with a documentary style exposition of an alien ship appearing in the skies over Johannesburg. Inside are aliens from another planet, shown more like discarded refugees than heavenly beings. The arrival of the creatures, known informally as prawns, spawned the governmental Department of Alien Affairs. They are housed in a temporary holding zone, District 9, which before long becomes a dangerous slum of crime and poverty as the aliens set up thier own economy and breed. The film follows a well meaning but foolhardy departmental field officer working on a program to relocate the aliens to a new compound outside of the city. He unwittingly contaminates himself with a mysterious liquid during a search, which forever changes him and the world around him.
This is a wonderfully realised, unusually effective sci-fi. Modern Sci-fi often feels a compulsion to outsmart the audience, this is one of the smartest sic-fis of the century, without ever relying on mind-bending. The stance of the film which shows this alien discovery as more of a nuisance than an epiphany, is key to it's all too authentic feeling appeal and the way that, amazingly, it is made to feel entirely commonplace after just minutes inhabiting this world. You will ask yourself, would the powers that be treat newcomers to our world as equals and home them willingly, or would mob mentality rule ensuring the creatures become just another ethnic minority to be tolerated and harvested for useful resources - in this case weapons and tech.
It is a familiar tale, in very unfamiliar settings and rich in ingenious, creative detail. Timeless themes of political scandal/cover-up alongside the inhumanity of man abide and all but ensure classic status.
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