District 9 - Christopher Johnson

District 9 is more of a sci-fi drama than an action-packed sci-fi flick. No giant battle of spaceships or mad scientists who orchestrated an experiment that went horribly wrong. There are just plenty of crazy people - men in suits with agendas and military men who are just crazy.

Presented by Peter Jackson and directed by Neil Blomkamp, the story of District 9 took place in the modern day of Johannesburg, South Africa. A giant alien spacecraft parked over the sky of Johannesburg 28 years ago for whatever reason. I don't think the film explains it or may be I was disrupted by the guy who sat next to me, he came to the cinema late with his Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yeah, if you are reading this blog.. EAT YOUR LUNCH BEFORE THE MOVIE DUDE!

Sorry, where was I?

The aliens didn't strike or do anything, the spacecraft was just hovering in the sky. So the humans went inside the spacecraft and met the aliens. The aliens were not healthy and they seemed lost. The humans took the aliens to an area call District 9. The Multinational United (MNU) was established to manage the aliens settlement and assigned rules to regulate them. Humanitarian on the outside, but behind back door all they care is the research of the alien physiology and their weapons.

The MNU gave each alien a name, but humans generally refer the aliens as 'prawn'. Over time, District 9 got over populated and it turned into a slum. The MNU decided to relocate the aliens to another area, which was further away from the human population.

There were 2 main characters in the story. Christopher Johnson was our main alien, who has been secretly fixing his spaceship so that he and his fellow aliens could go home. The other main character was Wilkus Van De Merwe (played by Sharito Copley). Wilkus was appointed as the officer in charge of the alien eviction operation. He looked like a guy who worked in your accounting department. Wilkus was exposed to an alien fluid produced by Christopher, which was meant to be used as fuel to make his spacecraft work. Within hours, Wilkus started to transform into an alien, starting with his hand. By the end of the movie, he completely transformed into an alien and Christopher left earth in that giant spacecraft. There were dramas on how Wilkus and Christopher distrusting and trusting each other to reach their common goal.

When makes a sci-fi flick more realistic is when it actually explores humanity and our emotions, rather than having funny costumes and space battles. The movie explored the ugly side of humanity. Once again, we see the world is led by losers and men in suits who think they are doing things for the rest of us. They will do anything to reach their goals. To them, families and people don't matter. They just want weapons and powers. The rest of us are just monkeys in the middle, trying to survive.

District 9 reminds me of The Fly and Cloverfield. The idea of the story is not depicted in conventional cinema very often. The idea is original, it's raw, it's well executed and the special effect is just right. After seeing a few good sci-fi flicks lately, like StarTrek, District 9 is certainly different and refreshing. It's really well-done.