District 9 (2009)

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.

Director:

Neill Blomkamp

Writers:

Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell

Stars:

Sharlto Copley, David James, Jason Cope

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 104 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sharlto Copley	...	Wikus Van De Merwe
Jason Cope	...	Grey Bradnam - UKNR Chief Correspondent / Christopher Johnson
Nathalie Boltt	...	Sarah Livingstone - Sociologist
Sylvaine Strike	...	Dr Katrina McKenzie
Elizabeth Mkandawie	...	Interviewee
John Sumner	...	Les Feldman - MIL Engineer
William Allen Young	...	Dirk Michaels
Greg Melvill-Smith	...	Interviewer
Nick Blake	...	Francois Moraneu - CIV Engineer Team
Morena Busa Sesatsa	...	Interviewee
Themba Nkosi	...	Interviewee
Mzwandile Nqoba	...	Interviewee
Barry Strydom	...	Interviewee
Jed Brophy	...	James Hope - Police Officer
Louis Minnaar	...	Piet Smit

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.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | prawn | ghetto | refugee | refugee camp | 

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Taglines:

You are not welcome here.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

South Africa USA New Zealand Canada

Language:

Xhosa Southern Sotho Afrikaans English Nyanja Zulu

Release Date:

14 August 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sector 9

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$37,354,308 (USA) (14 August 2009)

Gross:

$115,646,235 (USA) (30 October 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Block / Hanson, WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several Afrikaans curse words can be heard throughout the film, including "doos" or "poes" (both of which are slang terms for a vagina), fok/fokken (which means "f**k/f**king"), and "bliksem," which has a variation of meanings. "Bliksem" means "to hit" or just "hit," as in "ek sal jou bliksem" means "I will hit you." It can also be used as a derogatory term when referring to a person or as a derogatory adjective when used to describe a person or object. "Daai bliksemse prawn" would roughly translate to "That damn prawn." Also, at some point, a sniper says, "Kom na pappa toe," which translates to "Come to daddy."

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Goofs

After Wikus is ejected from the damaged Exo-suit, the exo-suit disappears completely from all subsequent shots, including the aerial shot of Koobus's death.

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Quotes

Grey Bradnam - UKNR Chief Correspondent: There's no way of knowing whether or not Christopher Johnson will return. We don't know if he was simply escaping, whether he will effect a rescue plan, uh... and as the so-called free press says, whether or not he'll come back and declare war on us.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits are back to front, with the actors names on the left and character names on the right. As opposed to most films where its the other way round.

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Connections

Featured in Smashing UK Top 10: Top 10 International Films (2013)

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Soundtracks

Hijack Stories
Performed by Zulu Mobb
Written by Rahman Du Plessis, Thato Mahlatsi and Desmond Mbuyiseni
Courtesy of Uthoht Music by arrangement with pigFACTORY USA LLC.

User Reviews

It is just THAT good.

Saying this movie is good would be an understatement. The movie has it all, a very intriguing deep plot, good acting and great action. If I was to find a flaw in this movie, it would be the shaky cam technique employed at the beginning part of the movie and also at the very end. The shaky parts are supposedly documentary clips telling the story of Wikus, the protagonist. But rather than add to the feel of it, the shakiness is just nauseating. They just over did it. But after a while into the movie, they got out of the documentary mode and things couldn't be any better. And the special effects in his movie will have you believing that these aliens are real.

It's better that you go into this movie not knowing the deeper plot as a big part of the movie's entertainment value for me is the parts when things look hopeless and you really feel the despair and hopelessness of the characters. The only thing you need to know going in is that there are aliens stranded on earth and they are put in slums.

This is one of those movies that teases you that it's nearing its end, but inside, you go "No, I want more. It can't end like this", and the movie hears you and gives you more. And it's primed for a great sequel. The potential that this franchise has is just enormous. The way they can expand the story is just limitless and all of them can add to it's lore. This is a classic franchise in the making.