It's very hard to leave District 9

Last night, my good friend Tom and I went to the movies to see G.I. Joe. But we had just missed the last show by 10 minutes. However, we were just in time to see District 9, which we also wanted to see. So we decided on the sci fi movie. Calling this movie a science fiction only scratches the surface of this very complex movie.

The movie starts out as a documentary, very similar to Cloverfield. We learn that in this world an alien space ship appeared out of the sky 20 years ago! It was a large ship that just hovered over the city. Almost like the miniseries V or the movie Independence Day. But the aliens inside were not here to conquer us. The ship was filled with workers with no leaders. They were stranded here. Even more bizarre was the fact that the ship didn't land over Washington D.C. or London, but Johannesburg South Africa!

The "workers" were taken to "District 9" a refugee camp for the aliens. (Which are 6 to 7 foot tall insect like creatures.) This area quickly turned into a slum. After 2 decades of crime and trouble the local humans have had enough. The decision is made to have them moved to a new "camp". But before that the aliens must be served with eviction notices. That is where the story really starts. We follow one of these bureaucrats as he tries to serve the aliens with these notices. After getting sprayed with alien rocket fuel, he becomes very sick and strange things start to happen to him. He starts turning into an alien! He is quickly taken away by the government agency that oversee alien affairs. They don't want to help him, they want to harvest his body's secrets. Because the aliens weapons will not work for humans. Only for aliens. But because of his unique accident, he is the only human that can use all of the alien technology.

That's a lot to get your head wrapped around. This is a strange movie for sure. And it's set in a part of the world that we really don't get to see on film too much. It looks great and the special effects are very good. They don't overpower any seen, they make this "documentary" almost look real.

The reason I say that it's hard to leave District 9, is because this is a movie that will leave you deep in thought. At least I was after. When you see the harsh treatment of the aliens by the humans and how their 'inalienable' rights (pun intended) are taken away for their "own good", it's almost hard to watch. You almost want to say, is this a sci fi or a war crimes movie? If the aliens were taken out and replaced with any other human culture, the movie would be a hard hitting drama that shows a people's hard struggle.

The movie is very good and it's a must see. Be warned, it's rated R for language and violence. Leave the kids at home. But go see it. A great movie that will make you think. :)

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