Tags : cinema, district 9, Movies, science fiction, SciFi
District 9: Science Fiction’s Cinematic Savior
Only three times in my life have I walked out of a movie theater completely in awe of the film, with my mind unable to wrap itself around such utter greatness while grinning uncontrollably. First came The Matrix in 1999, when I was twelve years old. Followed by, almost a decade later, The Dark Knight in 2008, at the age of twenty.
District 9 can now add itself to this very short list, me just three months shy of turning twenty-two years old.
Science fiction has astounded people of all nations, cultures, and ages for a century and a half with its grand ideas, visions of the future, and interspecies communication. As a genre, science fiction’s limitations are singularly those of the imagination, while its creators prefer deeply ethical, political, and social issues – choosing to base the core of the story in science and reality, rather than more popular themes, allowing their work to transcend all boundaries.
It therefore is no coincidence that two of these three personally-lifechanging movies are science fiction, and only a matter of semantics keeps The Dark Knight from receiving the same label – some of the most highly praised, gamechanging, definitive movies of cinematic history are science fiction. The genre has brought aliens, the future, space, advanced weaponry, alternative histories, and much more to the silver screen, many times leaking into other genres – space and advanced weaponry are common themes in the James Bond movie series, even though it is considered to be action/thriller.
The Summer of 2009 has been no exception to the draw of science fiction, after The Matrix proved its financial potential, with recent months seeing the release of Terminator: Salvation, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Star Trek, Moon, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and even G-Force – the trend of science fiction movies will continue for the rest of the year with no fewer than eight upcoming releases. While this slate of science fiction will no doubt have an effect on the genre’s future, only a few will be considered revitalizations.
If The Matrix brought huge special effects budgets, fancy wire work, and “bullet time”, and The Dark Knight brought disturbing scores, shaky-cam fight scenes, and gritty reality, what does this year’s releases bring in terms of reinvention? Until District 9, the answer was a definitive “not much” – Transformers was enjoyable but not groundbreaking, Terminator: Salvation was a mediocre rehashing at best, and G.I. Joe was strictly about fun. In direct opposition to most modern scifi movies, District 9 was produced with an astonishingly low budget of $30mil, proving that movies can be groundbreaking, compelling, and jawdropping without monolithic budgets.
As the movie continues to garner praise, rising directors, writers, and producers will doubtless look to District 9 for inspiration, and will find countless items to choose from: visually stunning special effects complimented the film, but were not the film itself; the compelling story grabs audiences from the beginning for a wild, emotional ride; the themes themselves are a large feature, the most central of which is an ethical argument; the plot builds continuously throughout, with many unexpected developments and without a single dull moment; and the list goes on.
All of this comes at a time when science fiction movies are once again known for their clichés and focus on special effects rather than storytelling or innovation – Transformers 2 and Terminator: Salvation have only helped to solidify this, especially in the mind of critics. Without much promotion, or even revealing information about the plot, District 9 has managed to be both a critical and box office success, giving hope to the future of science fiction cinema.
If more science fiction movies follow the outright originality and breathtaking scope of District 9, rather than the Transformers model, the coming years could be very interesting for audiences. In a world where the focus lies on quality over quantity or gimmicks, films such as Moon could have larger releases that continue to influence an impressionable generation of children to be creative, original, and thoughtful – instead of flashy, unnecessarily violent, and unintelligent.
Neill Blomkamp, you have managed to manufacture science fiction’s cinematic savior.
Peter Jackson should be proud.
Kyle Brady is a contributing columnist for the Inquisitr, an entrepreneur, and has a future in science fiction. He can be found at his blog, via email, or on Twitter.
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