District 9

District 9 is striking. Just reading the plot summary, or a tiny snippet of what the movie will be about, arouses the reader's interest in a story that is attention-grabbing and alluring. One is intrigued and genuinely attracted to the movie's uniqueness, which is attributable to the film's screenwriters who are the conjurers of such a brilliantly original storyline.

One of the screenwriters is Neill Blomkamp, who also directs. It is the South African's first stint at directing a feature-film, though in 2005 he directed the short film Alive in Joburg, which was, in fact, the inspiration for District 9. His 2009 blockbuster movie is a remake of this modest six- minute featurette - a remarkable transformation from a totally unknown short movie into one of the most hyped up, critically-acclaimed and successful box-office in-takers of the year. Audiences are flocking to their cinemas to see District 9.

In the 80's, humans make first contact with extraterrestrial life, although this first encounter of the third kind isn't as glamorous, heroic or dazzling as other movies often suggest. An alien mother ship, one gargantuan looking thing which could probably eclipse the sun, hovers over Johannesburg, South Africa, and comes to a standstill. Nobody knows what to do, and for three years the 'thing' just stays there untouched.

The South African officials, backed by the governments of the rest of the world, decide to take the first step, and drill themselves into the gigantic floating spaceship. What they find is astonishing. The subsequent events are equally astonishing, going down in this alternate history as one of the most historic moments in civilisation and all existence. I won't reveal anymore of the plot, as secrecy is essential to make the most out of District 9, a mind-blowing creative experience.

This isn't your typical alien sci-fi action movie. What got me was the believability. If there were aliens out there able to make contact with Earth, it could have gone something like this. The way the perspective switches from mock documentary style to standard third person certainly contributes to it. "Real" news footage and interviewers tell the story in retrospect, as the events of the movie have already occurred when they are being interviewed. I think it all added to the realism of the experience. Usually in these type of films, it's mostly mindless action and the story is lost. Not the case here. There's so much more to it. It's also about betrayal, loyalty, trust, relationships, and sacrifice. It can actually be pretty deep and thought-provoking, with many themes floating around. The film is really about the story which a fresh, gritty, original concept, which is good to see nowadays.

Sharlto Copley who plays lead character, Wikus Van De Merwe is a revelation here. Wikus is embarrassingly prejudiced and blithely racist. You can almost hear his friends making excuses for him. 'He doesn't mean any harm, you see. It's just the way he is.' It is the everyday ordinariness of his prejudice that is so frightening. It is so alarmingly close to the way we all are that it is difficult to watch. His condescending superiority in the face of his ignorance cuts to the bone. We are, all of us, guilty. How can any of us judge? Is this one side of this coin? This Everyman allows us to see the alien residing within us. That is the true horror. So for most of the film you don't really care for this character as much as you may think you should and only in the very end does he truly redeem himself - allowing the audience to forgive him. Wikus is neither a ‘good guy' nor a ‘bad-guy', he's just a guy. As the movie progresses however and Wikus becomes more and more entwined within the fabric of the alien plight, his character takes on a startling transformation that is powerfully done.