17 January 2010

District 9 is a power

"Technically brilliant and emotionally wrenching, District 9 has action, imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic."

One ordinary, family- oriented, hardworking man named Wikus van de Marwe, an MNU field operative (Multinational United) is placed in charge of relocating a race of aliens whose spaceship hovers above Johannesburg, South Africa. After an attempt to talk with an alien about the eviction, Wikus was injured in his forearm and began to mutate. Wikus's changed arm is then capable of operating an alien weapon which is valuable to the government. Scientists want to take advantage of this capability. Wikus escapes and hides in an alien shanty. An alien named Christopher promised to heal him, and together they save the canister of fuel for the mother ship. Christopher and his son then leave, promising to be back, and Wikus stays to fight the people who were once his fellows. Now he is one of the alien creatures.The movie made in a documentary style that makes it absolutely exclusive and memorable, you feel just like being wrapped- up in the story!It feels real.



You can look at this movie from the different angels:you can be with the aliens, you can be with the humans or with the government."It has an alternate reality"( Almost in all movies there are good and bad sides, good and bad characters. At the beginning of the movie you identify the human government as good because it cares about its people, and tries to protect them from the unexpected interference of the aliens. The aliens, or prawns, are frightful and creepy creatures, who engage in criminal and destructive activities, which lead to demands from the human population for more control. They are definitely assumed to be bad guys. Two Empires are against each other: the human Empire is independent and powerful: militarily, politically and economically it is prepared to take care of itself; it defines normality and abnormality; In contrast, the alien Empire seems to be less powerful and independent, but it has a huge advantage- the most powerful weapon on the Earth. One day one of these Empires will win.

At the middle of the movie you begin to understand that prawns are not as bad as they seem to be. The humans, who are supposed to be intelligent, treat Wikus as a thing. People want to 'take to pieces' Wikus who is still a person, who feels pain and wants to live; he just has a mutated arm.What a big deal.I am sure that the powerful Empire like this one can find a way to help him. But as if it usually happens, everything supernatural must be studied.Not long time ago Wikus was sent to perform an important and dangerous mission, and now he is nothing, a guy who is 'different'. What a cruelty and evil! Aliens, who are assumed to be stupid, take care of each other and try to live in the Human Empire. There is a question: will Christopher be back to fight against people? I think he will be back but not for the battle, but for helping Wikus and taking his compatriots back home. Sure, there is a reason for the fight but i guess the aliens know that not all people are bad.

I think that there are can be some possible explanations of two these Empires: I can say for sure that humans and aliens are representatives of two powerful Empires with advantages and disadvantages( they can't be Kingdoms because they are unholy and vicious),but one Empire seems to be more humane, wiser and compassionate, and this one is the alien Empire.

Questions:

  • Did Wikus's wife know that when she was talking with her husband, her father was on their trail?
  • How was it possible to hide that command module from the mother ship under the alien shanty, if people built all that shanties before, and they did not see that piece?
  • Why did the spaceship 'froze' above the Johannesburg?

1 comment:

  1. You have some interesting observations here, Dasha--in particular, noticing how the humans define "normality" and "abnormality." Since the aliens are not considered "normal," humans are able to treat them differently. It would be nice to think this only happens with aliens, but human history proves otherwise. We're always finding ways to define people as something other than "normal" so we can justify our oppressive behaviors.

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