CULT PROJECTIONS

New Zealand | 2009 | Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Logline: An extraterrestrial race marooned on Earth and forced to live in slum-like conditions suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent after he is infected by their advanced biotechnology.

Taking inspiration from the segregation of Alien Nation, elements of transmogrification from David Cronenberg’s The Fly, and the combat futurism of Aliens and RoboCop, brilliant new director Neill Blonkamp has fashioned a sensational science fiction action flick that boldly doesn’t flinch from showing the confrontation inherent in the story.

District 9 looks and sounds amazing. Its urgent camera work and washed-out cinematography, courtesy of talented Canadian lensman Trent Opaloch (who shot the fantastic existential nightmare short Terminus) is a key feature, as is the extraordinary – and beautifully integrated – CGI work, which is state of the art. This is an incredibly accomplished action movie that belies its budget ($NZ30m).

Set in Johannesburg (it’s not every day a sf movie features lead actors with Afrikaans accents) in a present that is possibly the future, but is trapped in the past, and feels almost apocalyptic. The compound that houses the alien refugees is an alternate, metaphorical Soweto; xenophobia – racism – is rife, and the movie becomes a powerful allegory to the inhumanity of man, but with an ironic intergalactic twist.

First and foremost though, District 9 is a crowd-pleasing, down-and-dirty, shoot ‘em up, and the movie’s last third ramps up the action to superb effect. What starts as a blackly comic mockumentary eventually becomes a strange and curiously affecting movie about friendships forged in the most adverse and extreme conditions. The lead role of Wikus, a field operative for the morally corrupt Multi-National United corporation, played by South African actor Sharlto Copley is a fascinating, flawed, but oddly charismatic character. His plight is what drives the narrative, amidst all the chaos.

I was frequently reminded of some of the artwork and concepts from the seminal adult comic Heavy Metal; the filth and squalor of the alien slums which is District 9, the elaborate and fantastic gun designs, the sordid nature of the human gangs who dwell in District 9 to exploit and capitalise on the aliens’ environment and nature. The art direction alone is stylised, yet very realistic.

The influence of reality television and 24-hour news feeds is prevalent throughout the movie, and Blonkamp uses this potent and immediate visual style to dynamic effect. One can argue that it serves the narrative indulgently, but the storytelling is so well-paced and inherently fascinating that this conceit barely registers. District 9 is one mean high-calibre machine indeed, but with heart and soul, and with its sensory overload it will demand repeat viewings.

Having now seen the kind of futuristic vision of Blonkamp is capable of I dream that one day he adapts my favourite science fiction novel, Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

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~ by brunodante on August 6, 2009. Tagged: black comedy, corporate corruption, futuristic hardware, horror undertones, intelligent alien life, racism, science fiction, xenophobia