History Film / District9

* AllThereInTheScript: Because it's not spelled out in dialogue (and the condition of [[spoiler:the body]] is so severely mutilated), first-time viewers are unlikely to pick up on the fact that [[spoiler:the dissected prawn corpse Christopher sees in the MNU labs isn't just any old prawn - it's his friend, Paul, who Koobus killed during the eviction.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Wikus is transformed and living in the slums, but Christopher and his son got away in the mothership, promising to return in three years. He's promised to cure Wikus and bring help for the rest of the prawns - but whether "help" entails medical rescue or overwhelming firepower is unclear. In the meantime, Wikus is leaving gifts for his wife, who is apparently pregnant.]]

* FromBadToWorse: Wikus quickly goes from beleaguered corporate drone to actual alien drone, hunted by his former employers, and then gets his wife dumped, and ''then'' it turns out an alien - of whom he despised - wants him to help with a plan that just might get him killed or captured...

* InspiredBy: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_Six,_Cape_Town The real life forced removal of over 60,000 blacks from District 6 in Cape Town.]] And the whole "Nigerians eating alien body parts to get their powers" thing is sadly inspired by [[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/world/africa/08iht-tanzania.1.13549207.html what happens to Albinos in Tanzania]]. Similar instances of cannibalism have occurred during the Second Congo War, with the victims being Mbuti [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Congo_War#Pygmies pygmies]]. In one of the DVD extras there is a brief conversation with Neill Blomkamp where he talks about growing up in apartheid South Africa. His decision to use this setting wasn't necessarily a decision to make a moralistic movie, but to put aliens and Sci Fi into a realistic third-world [[CrapsackWorld crapsack environment]] - and what better setting than [[WriteWhatYouKnow what he knew growing up]]?

** ''Christ''opher ''J''ohnson - just switch the order of his initials.

* PunyEarthlings: While not ''quite'' ImmuneToBullets, the Prawns are definitely much tougher than humans and are strong enough to rip a grown man limb from limb with their bare hands... err, claws. The differences in human and Prawn physiology becomes even more apparent when you consider the profound effects of Prawn weaponry on humans - a Prawn can shrug off a 9mm bullet like a shove, but anyone hit by even the weakest alien {{BFG}} is messily killed or at least horrifically maimed.

** Obasanjo and the other Nigerian gang members carving up aliens so they can [[CannibalismSuperpower eat them and gain their powers?]] Horrifyingly, that wasn't an invention of the film - cannibalism of body parts for witchcraft is ''[[NightmareFuel still practiced]]'' in parts of Africa today, especially on albinos (whose body parts are believed to have magical powers.)

* [[AliensInCardiff Aliens In Johannesburg]]: {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the first ten minutes of the film, where the sick, malnourished aliens had the misfortune to make first contact with the South African city, and notes when the ship first appears over the city that it wasn't some place like New York City, London, or Chicago. [[FantasticRacism And cue the thinly-veiled apartheid parallels.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Even though Wikus clearly is alright with [[spoiler: aborting baby aliens, he clearly has a problem with the illegal experiments MNU is doing on the aliens]].

* CreatorCameo: Neill Blomkamp can be seen giving the coordinates when Kobus is tracking Wikus's location.

** Let's all commit horrible acts against an alien race that would be classified as crimes against humanity if they were human. Did we mention that the alien race in question happens to have the ability to tear a man limb from limb, [[CoolGuns insanely powerful weapons]], MiniMecha only they can use, and a huge ship?

* CoolGuns: Some very interesting and rarely-seen South African firearms make an appearance in the film. An MNU soldier is briefly seen holding a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vektor_CR-21 Vektor CR-21]], a sleek prototype bullpup. The MNU ColdSniper who attacks Wikus uses a Denel NTW-20. However as cool as these human-made guns are, the alien weapons make all of them look like children's toys by comparison.

* BlownAcrossTheRoom: The alien gun Wikus gets his hands on at the gansters' compound, which seems to be its explicit purpose. One shot throws a mook through the flimsy wall of the shack they're in.

* CreatorCameo: Neill Blomkamp can be seen giving the co-ordinates when Kobus is tracking Wikus's location.

* CannibalismSuperpower: The Nigerians ''think'' they can do this by eating alien body parts (the alien DNA will let them use the alien weapons). The non-existent success rate does not discourage them.
** But considering how Wikus started his transformation into an alien, the idea might not actually be too far-fetched.

The film itself is an odd (but very fitting) combination of a sociopolitical {{Improv}} {{Mockumentary}}, extreme violence based on (among other things) ''{{Franchise/Robocop}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', and a classic science-fiction horror story (slash BlackComedy) very much like ''Film/TheFly1986''. [[{{Applicability}} Depending on how you watch it]], it's either a scathing political satire with cool action elements, or a kickass action film with an underlying social moral.

* InsectoidAliens: The prawns.

* InterspeciesRomance: How the MNU portrays Wikus' transformation to the public.

* PunyEarthlings: While not ''quite'' ImmuneToBullets, the prawns are definitely much tougher than humans and are strong enough to rip a grown man limb from limb with their bare hands...err, claws.

* ColonelBadass: Koobus the mercenary commander. He's actually quite fearless, keeping his head even when faced by the awesome power of the alien weaponry. In the end [[spoiler:he gets killed only when he runs out of bullets. He does, however, [[JustForPun lose his head]]]].