District 9

Being a lover of Sci-Fi, I loved this movie. It was well done, interesting, and seemed to be telling us something about being a human being.

The movie is set in South Africa, which is interesting in-itself, because not too many movies are set in South Africa. Also, the movie is filmed in a documentary style, which is also interesting, similar to Cloverfield, but District 9 is a more serious film. I am really surprised that it had such a wide release. I knew the film might be interesting when I saw the marketing posters on restroom doors stating that aliens were not allowed, similar to Jim Crow signs in the US. Also that it seems to be a South African film about South African issues, but prejudice is everywhere and a universal issue.

The South African setting brought up thoughts of Apartheid. A major part of the movie is that the aliens have been allowed to only live in a certain area, an alien ghetto, that looks very similar to images that I have seen of Soweto in South Africa. The story's starting point is the eviction of the aliens to move them into a different, newer ghetto that has been built for the aliens. So, you have this somewhat likable guy being charged with evicting the aliens. They did and excellent job of building this guys character. He's likable, but what he is doing is despicable, and the way he talks about the aliens, using various terms for them, is certainly reminiscent of what is still happening all over the world when people are dealing with a different culture than their own.

One of the best things about science fiction is that it can be thought provoking and critical about society without coming right out and shoving your face in it. This movie does that very well.