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District 9 (2009)
In director Neill Blomkamp's gritty science-fiction
film - it was part-apartheid allegory, mock documentary and tense
action thriller:
- the intriguing and harrowing film began
with the arrival of a large space ship that hovered above Johannesburg,
South Africa, and was found to contain sickly prawn-like alien
creatures (bi-pedal and taller than humans, with facial tendrils)
- the extra-terrestrials
were segregated in District 9 within the city, a heavily-guarded
and militarized slum-internment camp that had existed for 20
years, after which plans by the MNU (Multi-National United) were
underway to move the 1.8 million oppressed aliens to a new camp
(District 10) over 200 kilometers away, with enforcement provided
during the eviction by sadistic mercenary Colonel Koobus Venter
(David James)
- the operation to peaceably evict the prawns was
headed up by bumbling, incompetent, bureaucratic field operative
Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), who accidentally sprayed
himself with black liquid from a canister (a fuel cell) found
in the shack of intelligent alien Christopher Johnson (Jason
Cope). Wikus had infected himself with a virus, and began a harrowing
experience of slowly mutating into one of the aliens (his left
hand developed a claw)
- when Wikus was apprehended
by the MNU and they learned he could operate powerful, non-human
weaponry, they were determined to perform experimental surgery
upon him and "harvest" everything
from his partially-mutated body, and in the process kill him: "This
body represents hundreds of millions, maybe billions of dollars
worth of biotechnology. There are people out there, governments,
corporations, who would kill for this chance." [Note:
Wikus also discovered that they had been performing illegal, secret
operations on aliens for years, used the aliens as targets, and
wanted to commandeer the other-worldly weaponry-technology for
profit.]
- he resisted and became a beleaguered fugitive from
the nefarious MNU, after they published a falsified news report
claiming that Wikus had raped one of the aliens and contracted
a disease
- Wilkus sought refuge in the shack of Christopher
Johnson and his young son, and found himself losing his hair, nails,
and teeth, and that he liked prawn 'cat food.' Wikus found out
that the mysterious liquid in the canister had been gathered
over 20 years, and could power a submerged command module shuttle
to return to the mother ship hovering dormant over the city,
and allow it to be reactivated
- in the film's
exciting conclusion, Wikus and Christopher retrieved the canister
from MNU, fought off a Nigerian warlord and his gang of armed men
within District 9 who wanted Wikus' powers (through animalistic cannibalism!),
and evaded MNU forces led by Colonel Koobus
- although seriously wounded,
Wikus remained behind (encased in a massive mechanical
metal battle suit) to sacrificially allow Christopher (and his son)
to escape in the downed command module and return to the reactivated
mother ship (and then leave Earth)
- the prawns
came to Wikus' rescue and viciously tore off the head of Koobus and
ripped him apart as he was about to kill Wikus
- however,
the twist was that it would take 3 years for Christopher to journey
to his home planet and then return to reverse Wikus' genetic transformation
and cure him. As the mother ship departed, questions were pondered:
- Would Christopher Johnson return?
- Was he simply escaping, or would he effect a
rescue plan for the alien refugees in their new camp, and/or
wage war against humanity?
- in the film's
epilogue, more interviews with various people revealed that Wikus
had disappeared - had he been recaptured by MNU or by another
government, or by "some shady government
agency and is actually being held in captivity"?
Wikus' Wife Tania (Vanessa Haywood)
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Alien in District 10 - Was Wikus Still Alive?
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- Wikus' co-worker had exposed MNU's "illegal
genetic research programme," and District 9 was demolished
after the alien resettlement operation was completed; Wikus' wife
Tania (Vanessa Haywood) discovered a small metal flower on her
front door step (similar to ones Wikus used to make). She wondered
if her husband was still alive:
- "My friends say I should just throw it
away because it's just a piece of rubbish. And it couldn't
possibly come from him. I know it's true."
- on a trash heap in District 10 (now with 2.5 million
aliens), an alien with a bandaged left hand was seen holding
up a flower out of metal - was Wikus still alive?!
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Large Spaceship Above Johannesburg
Alien Creature Christopher Johnson
Wikus (Sharlto Copley)
Wikus' Massive Battle Suit
Prawns to Rescue
Wikus - Seriously Wounded and Remaining Behind
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