District 9: A commentary on the *fuckin' prawns (pronounced as fukin proons)

Epilogue: This might disappoint those who have previously read my blog, please excuse me for deviating my topic for awhile from a little auto-biography of myself (if you haven't been bored out already) to this.

Disclaimer: The image used herein is something that circulates from the web. No copyright infringement intended. Another thing reading this might preempt what you'll see and think of the movie in general.

Story: I was so bored this afternoon that I decided to treat myself to a movie house. Since District 9 gave so many critics I've read a huge fuzz I decided to check it out myself. So finally I cashed out 110 PHP for a de luxe seat, while smiling intently on the gorgeous lady handing out the tickets (really loved the face... well anyway) and buying myself some soda before proceeding to the cinema itself.

Not really known to check time, I was caught off-guard, because when I seated the movie was very near it's end (so you see it spoiled the excitement of the ending), oh well. I content myself looking at the other viewers lip locking inside the theater house hehe.

It took 15 more minutes or so to the actual ending of the movie and another 20 minutes before the next showing or directly after the trailers of the next up and coming movies (am I being redundant? next and up and coming?). Waiting wasn't all that boring, I even noted some movies I might hunt in the following days (like Sherlock Holmes and The Christmas Carol by Disney) so that made me very content. Come the featured movie.

I know Peter Jackson for his Lord of the Rings and Kingkong and I came to know he wasn't a slouch on the production and the film sequence. And I wasn't disappointed with the graphical production of the movie. The story hits another fresh approach, set in Johannesburg, South Africa the actors naturally spoke in thick African accent a huge deviation from the regular American and British accent we're accustomed to. Another thing is we were used to Aliens tearing us and terrorizing humans. In this movie we are the ones who make them submit to our rules.


The film kicks off with a documentary type of movie... You know interviews, the kind that documents life situations here's the plot: a huge alien ship landed to earth and has since set in Johhanesburg for the last 20 years. You can say that after all those time the aliens and the locals have grown accustomed to each other enough for them to huge barter trade to get what each camp wants from the other. The aliens, camped in what the government calls "district 9" settles for cat food (they seem to have a very big liking for it) and they trade their weapons for a hundred thousand cans of those.


The aliens would have develop tantrums and would eventually attack the local citizens, causing casualties and damage to both sides, irking the natives which requested the government to relocate the disastrous prawns as the locals call them because of their shrimp-like features. This makes the best entrance for our main hero, Wikus. Wikus was a member of the MNU, the private company contracted by the government to carry out the relocation. While doing his job Wikus accidentally sprays a a fluid to his face after raiding a house and confiscating a silver canister. After the incident Wikus fell ill, was brought to the hospital wherein they found a gradual transformation on his side from human to prawn starting from his severed hand which got injured in a previous incident during the raid.


You see MNU or the Multinational United is a big weapons distributor and have long wanted to incorporate the aliens own weaponry in their arsenal since the alien weapons are operate through alien biological means the MNU can't operate one alien weaponry. Wikus was then seen as a link by the MNU as to operate the alien machinery for personal gains. As they tried to put their experiment on him Wikus overpowers his captors and manages to escape... Here starts to cat and mouse chase between the fugitive and the corrupt company.


Wikus in despair came to the place he knows he might not be searched... District 9. Here he befriends Christopher Johnson and alien who owned the silver canister that spayed the black liquid on Wikus face and the key for him to regain his human form as Christopher told him that he knows how to cure Wikus' illness. So the two breaks in the MNU building to retrieve the canister. After the break-in and return to district 9 Christopher informs Wikus that he has decided to seek help from his people before curing Wikus' ailment which would take 3 years. Frustrated, Wikus knocks Christopher out and powers up the spaceship which was the command module with the help of Christopher's son. Moments after lifting off, MNU soldiers destroy one of the ship's engines with a missile, causing it to crash land nearby.


From the ship, Christopher's son activates the mother ship. Wikus gets into a robo-suit and uses it to rescue Christopher from MNU mercenaries and provide him with cover while he makes his way to the command module. Promising Wikus that he will return in three years to reverse his transformation, Christopher summons a tractor beam which lifted the module into the mother ship. After decades of hovering above Johannesburg, the mother ship leaves with Christopher and his son on board.


Some light moments: To cover up the events Wikus was accused of having sexual intercourse with the aliens therefore contracting himself of the alien form. After making his way to a local gang to retrieve some weapons for their assault in MNU, Wikus was taunted by the members because of the report for he was pictured in a "doggie-style" position. He was tatunted even more because of the questions: "Did you use condom?"


Some intriguing questions:

1. Why did the aliens drop the module in the first place? If it was what they needed to get out of the planet why then misplace it underneath?

2. How did the aliens and humans understand each other? The aliens were using a different language but Wikus and the locals seem to understand them...


3. Why were the gang members allowed inside District 9?

4. If the command module was that small, How come so many alien crop up in Johannesburg?


Overall, the movie receives a 3.75/5 from me. It's a fun watch and never a dull moment, although some technicalities in the story took some leverage from me.

For those of you who have yet to see the movie please watch the trailer through this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PDlMggROA


For the next post I promise to continue on what I've left for episode 3. Until next time folks, Keep on reading.