District 9 Movie Debuts In August 2010

The format of using a documentary style of film making to tell a fictional story has been becoming very popular among film makers. They feel it adds a sense of realism to stories that are otherwise spectacular. The most well known examples of this are The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, both of which utilized the format to make their fantastic subject matter seem real. However, producer Peter Jackson will soon be bringing a film that is being rumored to elevate that format to a whole new level. The film is District 9 and it has a plot that many will find echoes the current political environment worldwide.

District 9 takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, where a race of alien refugees have landed. At first the people find the aliens to be amazing and beautiful, but when they begin to try taking land for their own survival, they find that they have quickly overstayed their welcome in the area. The aliens quickly become refugees and are subjected to what is obviously racist, or in this case, specist behavior. The alien race is shown to be living in deplorable conditions. On top of that, the aliens are unable to return to their home world because either the local government or the United Nations have seized their ships, and it is heavily implied in the trailer for the film that it is to take any possible weapons they have.

The movie is based on the director's short film Alive in Joburg. The overall theme of racism in the film is what primarily has many people talking about it. As done with the 2008 box office smash The Dark Knight, viral marketing websites in the forms of blogs, political websites, and public service websites related to the aliens' arrival are being utilized to get the word out about the film. Many who have actually seen the film have said it is both entertaining and more importantly thought provoking. The advertising campaign is not limited to the internet, however, as posters in the form of firing range targets depicting the aliens have been posted, as well as signs that say "Humans only zone" and instruct whoever sees one to call an 800 number to report any nonhuman activity. There are even bus benches that say "Humans only".

District 9 is scheduled to open August 14th, 2009, and according to Rotten Tomatoes stats, there are quite a few people who are eagerly anticipating it!