Resulta curioso comprobar las traducciones al español de los tĂtulos de muchas pelĂculas, que poco o nada tienen que ver con el original y cuyo cometido es solamente el de asegurarle un trabajo fĂĄcil a algĂșn familiar sin muchas luces de algĂșn directivo de la compañĂa cinematogrĂĄfica que no puede aspirar a mucho mĂĄs debido a su condiciĂłn de oligofrenia. Con Distrito 9 pasa lo contrario, y eso que esta vez traducido habrĂa quedado mucho mejor.
District 9 has been talked about very well, so much so that many have considered it one of the best science fiction films of all time. Is it really that big of a deal? Well, we are looking at a film that differs from the others in its way of dealing with the issue of racism, but calling it a marvel seems excessive to me. Different yes, entertaining yes, acceptable yes, wonderful no.
Its director, the South African Neill Blomkamp draws directly from the apartheid that South Africa suffered during almost the entire 20th century, telling us the story of an extraterrestrial mothership that appears over the city of Johannesburg and in which the aliens wander aimlessly after all their leaders have died. The aliens are taken to land, where they are cared for and released; However, it does not take long for differences between humans and aliens to emerge and the latter are confined to ghettos where they survive as best they can, rummaging through garbage and dealing with drugs and weapons.
The most striking thing about the film is at the same time its message, that no matter how intelligent you are, the socio-cultural conditions of your environment will be what condition your way of being, and if you are forced to search in the trash to survive, you will do so whether you are an alien or a human. And seeing aliens in a movie in a role that we are not used to is most peculiar. Aliens, despite being intelligent beings, with superior technology and capable of traveling through space, if they are confined in ghettos they will not differ much from humans who live under the same conditions.
El protagonista de la pelĂcula, Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) es todo un personaje que no responde a los estereotipos habituales de los protagonistas de las pelĂculas de ciencia ficciĂłn ni de ningĂșn otro estilo, harĂĄ que algunas veces pensemos que ciertas situaciones carecen de toda lĂłgica y son demasiado forzadas. Lo odiaremos a ratos por ser tan gilipollas, por lo que hace, por las decisiones que toma y al mismo tiempo nos darĂĄ pena, pena por ser un capullo y por todo lo que le pasa.
Those who see it after having seen the trailer thinking that they are going to have a new version of Transformers or The War of the Worlds are going to be disappointed, since most of the film there are no spectacular special effects or action in abundance, and to be honest it is quite slow in some moments, to give more time to think and less to be surprised (which is not a bad thing, quite the opposite, which we need). Its half-documentary, half-movie style is what Iâm sure some people would have wanted Cloverfield to be in its day.
Ignorance, racism and ultimately human stupidity are the central themes of a film that is worth seeing and even paying 6 euros at the cinema for it.
What can you expect?
District 9 is a film whose central theme is racism, using aliens to give a broader vision of it. If you donât expect something impressive from it, a mix between âWar of the Worldsâ and âSchindlerâs Listâ, and if you feel like thinking a little and you like the science fiction genre, you can give it a try. If not, no.