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Trailer Review: District 9

Posted by Paul Clark


If I was really cynical, I would complain about the way this trailer spoils this movie’s big “twist”. But in the world of marketing, there’s a thin line between a twist and a hook, and I dare say that this movie wouldn’t find its intended audience if it there were no aliens to be found in the trailer, to say nothing of the pissed-off arthouse fans who probably wouldn’t enjoy having their docudrama on the issue of illegal immigration suddenly full of extraterrestrials. So instead, I’ll just say the trailer for the Peter Jackson-produced, Neil Blomkamp-directed District 9 is pretty damn cool. For one thing, the idea of flip-flopping the traditional alien-invasion storyline, with the visiting aliens oppressed by the human race, is a solid one. Indeed, the idea of treating making the story’s metaphorical “illegal aliens” into actual ones is so obvious that I’m surprised I’ve never seen it before (feel free to set me straight, commenters). And to set it in present-day South African is an inspiration, since the old wounds from apartheid are still fresh in everyone’s memories, but all humans black and white are still happy to bring down the newcomers. So much for Truth and Reconciliation...


+ DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT

Comments

adam christ said:

alien nation maybe? sorta?

interesting you mention truth and reconciliation - that was the name of the alien ship in the first halo game, and big chunks of the second and third installments take place in warn-torn urban africa...

justification enough for me to wear my master chief helmet to opening day.  

</teabags self>

May 11, 2009 1:18 PM

RevTen said:

Well, it wasn't on the scale of this movie but in 1984 there was a little movie called Brother From Another Planet, where a slave alien escapes to Harlem and is chased by white twin aliens. The Pursuers act like they are INS agents and that the escapee is an illegal alien.  not as blatant as this one, but the idea is there.

May 16, 2009 10:22 AM

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