Did you see ‘District 9’? Of course you did. You didn’t? WHAT?!? Time to rectify that, starting with a…well, not TOO late review of the summer’s second best* movie. Go, baby, go!
Drama? Sci-Fi? Whuh?
A film about prejudice
And blowing shit up
The first thing you need to know about District 9 is that it’s difficult to explain with any real clarity. The alien part isn’t complicated — seemingly stranded extraterrestrial lifeforms land in Johannesburg and, without anywhere to go, are shepherded into a slum that becomes the titular District 9. There’s alien decay and alien customs and alien lightning-shooting weapons. Awesome! But then there’s the documentary-style footage woven in with “is it real?” ease. The not-so-subtle social/political themes. Plus buddy comedy moments? And real drama? This movie is a functioning schizophrenic, deftly maneuvering between tones and tropes in a way even Kanye West would find sort of remarkable. It is a hybrid that never runs out of gas.
Henning
DJ Steve