Comprehensive Essay About the Movie District 9

Paper Type:  Essay
Pages:  8
Wordcount:  1956 Words
Date:  2021-06-11

District 9 is one of the best movies I know. The first half of the film is not entertaining. However, after watching the second half, one will want to go back and start afresh because it is interesting. The dialogues and the locations of characters in the film are unique and depict a high level of creativity. The authors used satire successfully and maintained a high degree of originality. The film is both action and a science fiction. The authors are very creative and capable of capturing attentions of the readers through the narrations of an excellent story. Every actor is in a suitable position thus making the film unique. Terri Tatchell and Neill Blomkamp wrote the film District 9 in 2009. The producers of the movie include Carolynne Cunningham and Peter Jackson. Three countries that coproduced the film include New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. The film is one of the best films of 21st century exploring contemporary themes. Some of the themes that come clear as you watch the film include humanity, social segregation, and Xenophobia. The story in the film begun in 1982 after a ship carrying foreigners appeared in Johannesburg, and the government of South Africa confined the aliens in District 9 (Lee, & Yun, 2016). The story in the film becomes interesting when one of the foreigners in the movie attempt to flee the camp during their relocations. The film writers combined creativity in formulating the story, visual effects; suitable film editing techniques, best pictures, and excellent screenplay to makes the film successful. The entire essay is a discussion of themes, plot, characters, sound effects, editing techniques, genre, and an evaluation of cinematography in use in the film.

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Plot of film

The film is a fictional story about a ship that stopped in Johannesburg in 1982 carrying a group of sick people from unknown origin. The government of South Africa was suspicious and did not allow the aliens to interact freely with the citizens. As a result, the government confined the foreigners in a camp called District 9. With time, the government relocated the aliens to a new environment because of the continuous violence with local people. Wikus was the representative of the private military company responsible for relocating the aliens. In the process of the relocation, Wikus had a challenging moment handling the aliens. For example, Wikus contact with certain fluids in District 9 brought changes in his tissues (Lee, & Yun, 2016). The deteriorations of Wikus tissues were an epidemic and affected the people in his environment. As a result, Wikus was taken back to the multinational headquarters for scientific examinations. The results from the experiment were astonishing because Wikus tissues allowed him to use weapons belonging to the aliens. As a result, the scientist realized that Wikus tissues were beneficial and planned to vivisect Wikus. However, the plans to vivisect Wikus did not succeed because Wikus escaped.

Wikus mutation was the sources friendship with the aliens and repulsions from the Multinational United. Wikus and Christopher team up to protect the canister that was believed to reverse Wikus mutation in the tissues. It is ironical that Wikus was to facilitate the relocations of the aliens but become part of the aliens. Rumors that Wikus was engaging in sexual activities with the aliens were spreading everywhere and that Wikus was STDS victim (Lee, & Yun, 2016). The Multinational united officials were hunting Wikus following the mutations in his genes. Christopher was the only hope to reverse Wikus tissue, but it had to take three years of continuous exposure to certain fluids to stop the mutilations. The interactions between the aliens and the locals prohibited and thus the transformations in Wikus harm was the source of his troubles. It is apparent that Wikus was becoming part of the aliens and was defending them from any external attack. In the film, Wikus killed many soldiers from the multination United who waged war against the aliens. The local people held diverse beliefs about the aliens. For example, Obesandjo gang believed that eating Wikus transformed arm was the genesis of the ability to use aliens weapons. The aliens were knowledgeable because they had knowledge about spacecraft and mutagens (Lee, & Yun, 2016). Wikus is one of the locals whose tissues were mutated and were able to use exotic weapons. It is apparent that during the relocations of the aliens one of the aliens by the name Christopher as attempting to escape thus causing chaos during the relocation.

Themes in the film

The film is clear and the author attempt to communicate different topics to the viewers. The theme of Xenophobia and racism receive attentions in the film. The word prawn is used to describe the aliens got in the ship who lived in the isolated camp. The isolations of the aliens to stay in different camp is an act of racism.

There is evident of the theme of humanity in the film though one of the characters Wikus in the film. Wikus was one of the individuals who participated in the relocations of the aliens. However, in the process, Wikus became human, and the natives view him as less human. Wikus was passionate in serving the immigrants, but the natives view him as a traitor because he became friends with aliens. The natives spoke ill of Wikus because there rumors that he had sexual relationships with aliens. Wikus family was in danger of disintegrations because of the allegations that had sexual affairs with the aliens and that he was infected with sexually transmitted diseases. The government of South African did not want the aliens to interact with the other segment of the population (Lee, & Yun, 2016). The separations of the aliens from the natives symbolize ethnicities and racism. The aliens were treated as lesser human beings show a deficiency of human among the people in South Africa.

There are signs of weaknesses of the government that comes clear in the film. The Multinational United symbolizes the international organization that partners with government. Ideally, the Multinational United did not show a right image in South Africa, and thus there is a danger of outsourcing the military in the country (Akpome,2017). The natives of South were defensive of their resources and did not allow the aliens to get a share. The fight between witnessed in the film symbolizes xenophobia in South Africa that claimed the lives of many people. The hatred between the insect-like species and the natives was part of the film, which forms the xenophobia.

Genre

The film fits into two types of genre. The first is science fiction. The film is a science fiction because of the common scientific characteristics such as the aliens whose origin is another planet. The aliens had futuristic weapons and hence a prediction of the future advancements in the technology (Akpome, 2017). For example, when Wikus was seeking refuge in District 9, he stumbled on Christopher while he was hiding spacecraft under the soils. On the other hand, the film fits into the action genre following the many fights in the movie. The fights in the movie involved the use of sophisticated weapons. The aliens were technologically strong and had advanced weapons with power to cause mass destructions. There was evidence of the use of gunfire in the film hence the film qualify as an action film. On the other hand, there is an evidence of romance genre following the story of Wikus and his wife.

In the film, the representations of the whites are not good following the possessions of weapons, disrespect to the law. The compositions of the international company that was shipping the aliens were whites and were characterized by inhuman actions. The soldiers in the film consist the white people. The image of the soldiers was negative following the fact that most of them were violent, threatening the lives of the people, and arrogant. The scientists were also a group of white people who labeled the people as prawns in the film. In the film, the characters held negative stereotypes on their counterparts. For example, through Blomkamp, the viewer realizes that the Nigerian and the white were all aliens.

Characters

The choice for characters in the film was strategic and that each character plaid their role well. One of the characters includes Wikus. Wikus was an agent of the foreign military company that South African government had hired to relocate the aliens to a different camp. Wikus is a major character because many stories in the film are told through him. For example, Wikus carry the theme of humanity when socializes with the aliens during the process of their relocations (Akpome, 2017). It is through Wikus that we get to know about the aliens and their advancement in technology. Wikus is a social and that he became friends with the aliens. He is adorable because he loved his wife and he would carry his wedding photograph. Wikus was unskilled but extraordinary. Wikus was able to control Mini-Mecha though he did not have enough knowledge about how it works. He is kind, and his kindness is clear after he met the alien fluid.

Christopher Johnson

Christopher is one of the aliens in District 9. Christopher was knowledgeable because he knew how to build a ship to take him and his son to space. Christopher is a man of actions. It is clear in the film that Christopher was working hard to protect his son. Besides, Christopher was a peacemaker. In the film, Christopher was working for peace between the aliens and the humans.

Little CJ

Little CJ is the son of Christopher Johnson. Little CJ is adorable. In the little, CJ kills many gangs to save the life of Wikus. Besides, Little CJ was helping his father in research. He also loves because he loved and helped his father to build the spacecraft.

Tania

Tania is wife to Wikus and daughter to Piet Smit. She is a loving wife and is happy in marriage. She resolved not to indulge in corruptions despite the corrupt executives she worked with.

Piet Smit

Piet Smit is the head of multinational United and father of Tania. Piet Smit is corrupt, and he was ready to vivisect his son-in-law to earn some profits. He attempted to break Tanias marriage after speaking false allegations against the son-in-law. Piet Smith is too protective of his daughter. He is inhuman because he did not emphasize with his son-in-law Wikus despite the fact that Wikus was fighting for his life.

Koobus

Koobus was one of Piet Smits employees. He was a commander of mercenary Unit. Koobus was evil because he kills the aliens. Koobus killed one of Christophers friends and was xenophobic towards the aliens. Koobus was a leader because he was commanding mercenary soldiers. Koobus is a sadist because he seems to derive pleasure from killing the aliens.

Obesandjo

Obesandjo is a man from Nigeria he has paralysis and has the desire to take power over the aliens. Obesandjo is evil because he is the leader of a gang dealing in dangerous arms. He is courageous and does not fear Wikus despite owning Wikus carrying a firearm.

Mise en scene

Ideally, everything that viewers see in the film is mise en scene. Mise en scene in the film District 9 includes the characters, setting, props, and lightings. The setting of the film is a slum where the lighting is poor. The dim light in the slum shows how aliens live in a dirty place and feel uncomfortable because of the environment. Viewers feel that aliens are not comfortable and the side of human is good. The dim light cannot allow aliens to see far; the feeling means that they are uncomfortable and in confinements. Wikus is a major character. When Wikus met fluids in District 9, the human considers him as dirty because he appeared sweaty, pale, distraught and pal...

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Comprehensive Essay About the Movie District 9. (2021, Jun 11). Retrieved from https://midtermguru.com/essays/comprehensive-essay-about-the-movie-district-9

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