A large spacecraft is found to house over a million insectoid aliens who are given refuge on Earth and put in District 9 of Johannesburg. Prawns, as they are known now are found useful by humans for their ability to make artistic flower patterns out of junk metal and are re-located to new District 10. Multinational United (MNU) is assigned the job and Wikus van de Merwe, aptly played by award winning and top rated movies star Sharlto Copley, a young executive of MNU is put in charge of the operation by its director Pie Smit, enacted on screen by Dirk Minnaar, star of many top movies of Hollywood.
Storyline:
In 1982, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed “The Prawns,” appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new ‘Prawn’ friends. – Imdb.com
Christopher Johnson, portrayed by Jason Cope star of top movies, an alien, injects Wikus with a canister virus that will transform him into a Prawn. MNU scientists get hold of the canister and try to vivisect Wikus but he manages to escape. Wikus contacts Christopher and finds that virus effect can be reversed if the mothership is activated by the command module with canister.
Watch District 9 (2009) Trailer:
Wikus steals weapons from Nigerian arms dealer Obesandjo, played by Eugene Khumbanyiwa, the star of many top rated movies and with Christopher gets the canister from MNU where Christopher sees the illegal experiments being conducted on the aliens. He refuses to cure Wikus till all aliens are put aboard the mothership. An enraged Wikus hijacks the command module but is shot down by MNU forces and is captured by Obesandjo.
Christopher’s son manages to activate the mothership and with a robot Battle Suit kills Obesandjo and his gang. Wikus takes controls of the Battle Suit and rescues Christopher from the MNU forces but the Battle Suit is damaged. Christopher and his son manage to escape aboard mothership leaving Wikus behind who has transformed to a Prawn. Exposure of District 9 forces the authorities to demolish it. Tania, wife of Wikus believes Wikus is alive when she finds a metal flower at her doorstep.
Watch District 9 (2009) Movie Clip:
In 1966, 60,000 non-whites were displaced from District 6 of Cape Town to Cape Flats, some 25 Km away to make it an exclusive residence of whites. This incident is the inspiration of this movie which has been written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, who has secured its place in the top 10 movies of the year.
It is up to the humans to keep humanity alive but is humanity meant for humans only? A question well answered by Blomkamp when he transforms a human into a Prawn.
Do unto others what you want other do to you – wise man cautioned us centuries ago.
See the movie not for its brilliant cinematography or the taut screenplay or the deft direction skills of the director – all are impeccable – but to understand the message that it tries to convey – make this planet worthy of living for other species too.
