District 9 [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital] [4K UHD]

This is a testament that shows with a low budget, no major Hollywood backing, a movie can be made that has the power in story telling, character development, and action. I believe this film was budgeted at 30 million? That is what I had read. Peter Jackson was going to have this new comer Neil Blomkamp direct the Halo movie then that fell apart, he felt bad and basically told this young maverick I'll back your next movie... low and behold we have District 9.I couldn't believe the production values here, if this movie were made for 30 million, it looked like 100 million on film, top notch special effects, no name actors, a great story that pulls in the viewer, and the Aliens, giving them almost a Human element. So the film starts off with an alien race stranded in Johannesburg South Africa for like 30 something years, where the Aliens known as Prawns are herded into these slums and kept under a watchful eye of the MNU, a UN type agency. Then there is the protagonist named Wikus who at the beginning of the film, you get a sense he's a man way over his head, but yet a nice guy, never associate him to be the hero type but your average Joe. He get's a promotion at the MNU (MultiNational United) Wikus is a man who just follows orders, kinda nerdy, xenophobic, has a fear of the unknown, maybe too ambitious, selfish, conniving, his job is to relocate the Prawns to a new location away from human population, being more isolated from human contact. Wikus is a character the audience would balk at... In the film we see him going around District 9 evicting the Prawns using intimidation, force, lies, one particluar scene he discovers a shack with dead cow carcasses and prawn eggs, which is illegal to have. So he demonstrates an abortion and he doesn't feel sorry, he doesn't view the prawns as an equal. So Wikus doesn't think twice as he kills the prawn eggs, and they torch the shack and hear the eggs popping and he casually says, "You hear that, that popping? It's the eggs, sounds like popcorn" one would argue he is just doing his job for the MNU. BUT then as the film progresses Wikus is being hunted by the same Company he worked for. He holds the key to what the MNU really want from the Prawns---- their futuristic weapons. I think it is believable that any Nation who would come in contact with another race and they had the technology and advanced weaponary we would want it. Let's face it, Humans have been at war for 1,000s of years, it's a natural order, of course a Government would want to harness that power and use it on their enemies and show who is the Super Power. Anyways Wikus still seems manipulative, conniving as he transforms, his DNA bonding with Alien DNA thus metamorphosing into a Prawn, and his only hope is the Prawn Christopher. I think we would all do the same thing if we were in Wkius' shoes. He's desperate, scared and really just thinking about himself and how to turn back to human again. What drives him is the fear of the unknown.Then there is Christopher the alien Prawn who has found a power source that can ultimately send his race home--- what they had always wanted to do in the first place. Ironically it is Christopher even though being "alien" has human traits, has emotions. He wants to help Wikus. There is a nice scene in MNU headquarters where Christopher finds out what really is happening to his race, they are being dissected, tested on, being used essentially as guinea pigs. Wikus never knew that this is happening, it's MNU's dirty little secret being kept under wraps. Wikus realizes the Prawns never meant no harm, they ultimately didn't do anything to the Humans, it was the MNU cleverly disguising their real intentions in the form of supposedly Humanitarian efforts. One scene Wikus tells Chris and his young Prawn that the reolcation spot would be worse that District 9.The last 30 mins or so is astounding not just visually with the special effects but the action sequences. There is one scene where Wikus who towards the end runs away and we as the viewer feel a sense of anger maybe because he Leaves Chris to his fate which is certainly death but then Wikus comes back.... his ultimate redemption. He Realizes his fate is sealed and he must live with it now and that it's not about him, and ultimately finds sacrifice, he wants to help Christopher get to the mother ship, ultimately Wikus knowing that it's the right thing to do.This is what drew me into this film, the humanity, it wasn't just mindless action, if you want that go see Transformers II. I think we know that under the surface there is the allegory of Apartheid in which happened in South Africa, The War on Terror, the War in Iraq happening now. All cleverly disguised in a Sci/Fi movie.A splendid movie that must be watched.

District 9, science-fiction at its absolute BEST, revolves around the attempts to relocate aliens, currently living in slum conditions in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a more suitable place - living alongside humans has obviously deteriorated. A bureaucrat,Wikus, appointed by his father-in-law, is tapped to lead the relocation efforts. Unfortunately, in the process, he becomes infected with the DNA of the aliens. (oh you KNOW the South African government has been performing "tests" to study the aliens!) Of course, Wikus will eventually turn into one of the aliens and the government wants/needs to "harvest" his body parts all, of course, for the sake of science.The movie is intense, gritty, and disgusting. It pretty much evokes the same emotions in the viewer which is where the power of the movie lies. It takes the viewer on a VERY uncomfortable review of one's own biases/prejudices/apprehensions. In the beginning I was horrified watching the amount of firepower humans enlisted to implement the relocation policy thus making me dislike Wikus almost immediately - especially since he benefited (for lack of a better word) solely because of nepotism. I was immediately moved to support the aliens but, GEEZ, they're so ugly!!!Then Wikus becomes infected, becoming of intense interest to the South African scientific community, and becomes the hunted rather than the hunter. Now Wikus is as sympathetic as the aliens and thank god, not NEARLY so ugly.It was INDEED startling to be reduced to making assumptions about someone SOLELY on the basis of how they looked. The aliens here are quite intelligent. Moreover, they only want to get back to their own planet and have no ill-will toward humans, unless, of course, provoked. So in most cases they do NOT deserve the inhuman (no pun intended) treatment they are often subjected to.Their just god-awful ugly!! And it is disconcerting to have to admit AND deal with this. Compound this with a language barrier and we find ourselves looking at some veeeeeeeeeery similar situations we find ourselves in in our everyday lives.The special effects are mind-boggling and the interactions between aliens and humans recalls social conditions we are all entirely too familiar with. Yes, it uncomfortably evokes the reasonings behind immigration, integration, segregation, minorities, cultures/situations we are unfamiliar with, and forces us to take an historical perspective of just how well (or how badly) we have dealt with similar situations.The movie is fast-paced, action-packed, gross, poignant, revolting, and THOROUGHLY entertaining. It is reminiscent of the best that the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits had to offer and quite frankly, trying to categorize the movie not only is difficult but ultimately unfair.Hands down - one of the BEST movies of ANY genre I have ever seen.Oooooooh yeah.....I INDEED recommend!