This has not been a very good year for the horror film. Two of the best horror-related films I have seen this year were more science fiction films with excellent horror elements that made them stand out from the pack in 2009. District 9 is one of those films. It’s a smart film that’s more than just a science fiction gore fest. It’s a film that defines us as human beings, showing the good and evil sides of our race, and also presents a theme that says, “history will always repeat itself.”
Over the skies of Johannesburg, South Africa a spaceship has stopped, hovering at the outskirts of the city, showing signs of neither aggression nor of peaceful contact. Years pass by, and finally, the government has figured out a way to get into the ship. They find a race of bug-like creatures that are in poor health and in need of food and medical attention. The government moves the aliens, known as Prawns, to a sectioned-off part of the community known as District 9. Years later, the area has become more of a giant trash dump than a suitable place to live, but the Prawns, with their advanced technology, seem to make due with what they find. Meanwhile, a government agency has been set up, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, which is contracted to evict the population by force, with operative Wikus Van Der Merwe in charge. The armed team goes into District 9 with the intent to stop alien technology from being developed, and in an attempt to move the Prawns to a new, more suitable district set up in another part of the city. When Van Der Merwe comes in contact with an alien substance, it begins to alter his DNA and he begins to turn into a Prawn. With the agency now marking him as Public Enemy Number One, he has no choice but to return to District 9 to seek help from the Prawn who created the chemical.
The beginning of the film plays off the reality style seen in such films as Cloverfield and Quarantine. At first, the shaky camera work and the documentary style caught me off guard. I didn’t want to feel as if I were part of the film; I wanted to enjoy an escape into a Science Fiction film that was going to be a lot of fun and have some horrific elements. Thankfully, while it does start off with that documentary style, it quickly develops into a more structurally shot film. Essentially, the film throws issues at the audience that are continuing parts of human history. For instance, from 1948 to 1994, South Africa was in a state of apartheid. Races were forced to live in separate parts of the country and were never allowed to live together. When that ended in 1994, people of all races were allowed to live together peacefully. Although apartheid always will be part of South Africa founding and history, after the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994, the country has declared itself free. District 9 is a depiction of that history repeating itself. The human race may be together as one in the film, but the aliens are now victims of what is another episode of apartheid. They are forced to live in unsuitable conditions and told to move to different parts of the country under government control.
Besides being a film that presents moral and ethical situations, District 9 is explosive in story, special effects and, of course, what most horror fans enjoy: The blood, guts and gore. The hardcore graphic scenes take a back seat to the story, but with today’s predictable horror and science fiction plots, District 9 is a film that has it all. It tells an original story that makes the viewer think, while enjoying the plot and being awed by its actions.
The Blu-ray disc is packed with features that make it well worth the buy. There are many Blu-ray features that are exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, including: MovieIQ, which connects to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the film; Cinechat, where you can send on-screen instant messages to friends who are watching the disc at the same time you are; Joberg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 with a Interactive Map, and for Playstation 3 owners, a God of War III game demo which allows you to unlock an exclusive making-of the game. The rest of the disc includes Director’s Commentary, Deleted Scenes, a three-part documentary titled The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker’s Log along with featurettes, including Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus; Innovation: Acting and Improvisation; Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9; and Alien Generation: Visual Effects.
District 9 is sure to be within the top five on my year’s Top Ten List. Some may argue that it is just a gory Science Fiction film, but I disagree. It’s a film that speaks on many levels and, besides the fact that it has a lot of over-the-top blood, guts and gore, it also shows the horrors of the human race and how we can inflict pain, suffering and slavery on those we don’t quite understand and a race that we refuse to accept. It is an eye-opening film that succeeds not only in entertaining, but in making you think about the world and the errors of history. It is by far one of the best films I have seen this year, and I highly recommend it.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
