Del on District 9

Although I generally enjoy an alien flick, this one left me with more philosophical notions than action thrills. The setting is present-day Johannesburg, South Africa where a mammoth alien mother ship hovers a mile above the city. The invading force of 'prawns' have superior weaponry but apparently are like an ant hive without a queen. These hideous creatures wander aimlessly and seem to have no drive except to procure their next can of cat food. The plot movement begins when an alien control officer is infected by a mysterious alien disease which begins morphing him into a prawn.
This is Sharlto Copley's second acting role and both have the same newscast feel to them. His first role was as a sniper in 'Alive in Joberg', a short film that also displayed the poor living conditions in the Johannesburg area by focusing on an alien underclass. In District 9 he does a good job of showing what a kind and amiable person can turn into when they are influenced by prejudice and fear. His character around the aliens is almost a completely different person from the weak and awkward office worker he plays at the beginning of the film.
The sci-fi genre is often used to make a statement without having to say it and District 9 is strongly speaking out against the repression of black people in the Johannesberg area and all over Africa. The use of aliens as the object of pity makes the statement universal while still giving the strong impression of the squalor in which they live. Published in English, Nyanja (spoken by 15 million people in South Africa), and Afrikaans (spoken throughout Africa), this movie is meant to carry most of its impact to the people it portrays and those who can bring about change in these areas. Despite the intended audience being Africans, Americans will still be moved by the footage of real slums in Johannesburg and will be wowed by Niell Bloomkamp's special effects. I give the film a definite thumbs-up and would suggest watching it more than once to delve into the underlying message.