Elysium < District 9

This past week I finally got around to seeing Elysium, a new film directed by Neill Blomkamp who was the director of District 9. I had been very excited to see what Blomkamp had done with this film because District 9 is on my list of favorite movies. I really enjoyed District 9 because I felt that it brought something new and different to the table and it was something that I hadn’t really seen before. I was expecting something like District 9, but after seeing Elysium I was a left feeling a little let down. Now don’t get me wrong, Elysium was a fine movie—packed with action and Matt Damon being tough and rugged. It had a great feeling of continued suspense and uncertainty, I never was able to guess the entire ending (which was a major plus for me), and Elysium (the space station) was breathtakingly beautiful. I thought that the acting, especially by Sharlto Copley who played Agent C.M. Kruger, was fantastic. Who wouldn’t be afraid of him?

And for those of you who know District 9, you might remember Copley as Wikus Van De Merwe, a total 360 character change from Agent Kruger.

Besides that, I just felt like it was just another movie. It addressed the topics of immigration, but I just felt like that had been done before. I didn’t feel the characters of the movie change or grow throughout the movie. There was almost too much action for that change to happen. It was always going, going, going without much introspection. District 9 really got my hopes up for this movie, but Elysium just didn’t pack that raw and unexpected punch that District 9 accomplished.

District 9

When my friends told me we were going to watch District 9 I just assumed it was some spin off of the Hunger Games series.  It was of course a different and unique science fiction action packed film that I was shocked I had never seen.  Nominated for 4 academy awards, District 9 is the story about an alternate Earth where a ship full of alien invaders land in South Africa and disturb the people.  The story follows the Wikus a bureaucrat who is appointed by his father-in-law to monitor the aliens and head a project of relocation so they are further away from the main city of Johanasberg disturbing the public.  He is later infected by an alien virus and action and drama occurs.

The movie was directed by Neill Blomkamp and uses fictional stock footage, mocumentary, fake interviews, and other documentary/news like tactic to tell parts of the story.  It was a very interesting way of telling this story. One of the producers behind the film is Peter Jackson who is most famous for his work on the Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit.  Although the movie was a success, it was a surprise since it had a very unknown cast and relatively modest budget.

What I found very interesting about the film was it's political undertones.  It often referenced and brought up the subject of gun control, government and leadership in the Africa's, as well as immigration.  I think the aliens in this movie were directly a symbol of illegal aliens within our country, as well as other countries.  It was a large debate in the movie about kicking the aliens out of Earth because they are clearly invading our space and territory.  However it was brought up later in the film that the aliens - although not the most helpful to humans - had their reasons to leave their home planet and could not go back.  This obviously brings up illegal immigrants traveling to other countries to escape persecution, and crime filled nations.

The movie was good and did lose to Biggalow's The Hurt Locker, but I wouldn't have given Distric 9 the Oscar anyway.  It was enjoyable but I don't think I would watch it again.  It was a unique way to tell such a different thought provoking story and it was effective but it was a bit boring for my taste and I did not end up liking the main character.  Although my friends really enjoyed the movie.  Maybe I'm just more of a rom-com kinda guy.