Cultural studies is an academic field of critical theory and literary criticism initially introduced by British academics in 1964 and subsequently adopted by allied academics throughout the world. Characteristically interdisciplinary, cultural studies is an academic discipline aiding cultural researchers who theorize about the forces from which the whole of humankind construct their daily lives. Cultural Studies is not a unified theory, but a diverse field of study encompassing many different approaches, methods and academic perspectives. Distinct from the breadth, objective and methodology of cultural anthropology and ethnic studies, cultural studies is focused upon the political dynamics of contemporary culture and its historical foundations, conflicts and defining traits. Researchers concentrate on how a particular medium or message relates to ideology, social class, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality and/or gender, rather than providing an encyclopedic identification, categorization or definition of a particular culture or area of the world.
(courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_studies)
The Story:
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| courtesy of: http://www.impawards.com/2009/posters/district_nine_ver13_xlg.jpg |
In 1982, a large alien spacecraft stops directly above Johannesburg in South Africa. An investigation team enters the ship, discovering a population of sick and malnourished extraterrestrials. The aliens, derogatorily referred to as "prawns", are confined to District 9, a government camp just outside Johannesburg. Periodic unrest then occurs between the aliens and the locals and subsequently the South African government hires Multinational United (MNU), a private military company, to relocate the aliens to a new internment camp.
In August 2010, Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an Afrikaner bureaucrat, is appointed by Piet Smit (Louis Minnaar), an MNU executive and his father-in-law, to lead the camp relocation by serving the aliens with eviction notices. Meanwhile, three aliens — Christopher Johnson (Jason Cope), his son, and a friend — search for alien technology, from which they distill a mysterious fluid, storing it in a small canister. While raiding the shack of Christopher's friend, Wikus discovers and seizes the canister, which sprays the fluid onto his face. Christopher's friend is subsequently killed by Koobus Venter (David James), a xenophobic soldier leading the military side of the operation.
The fluid slowly begins mutating Wikus into a prawn, beginning with his arm. MNU forces Wikus to test various alien weapons which only function when alien DNA is present. The MNU scientists then decide to vivisect Wikus, but Wikus overpowers his captors and escapes. Smit orders Venter and his men to hunt down Wikus, while a story is released to the media stating that Wikus is infected with an alien STD.
Wikus finds refuge in District 9 and stumbles into Christopher's shack. A lost command module from the ship is revealed underneath the shack, and Christopher discloses that the fluid in the canister is fuel which would allow him to reactivate the dormant mothership and reverse Wikus' mutation. The canister is held at MNU headquarters, so Wikus and Christopher agree on a plan to get it back by first obtaining weapons from superstitious Nigerian arms-dealer Obesandjo and his gang.
After acquiring the weapons, Wikus and Christopher attack the MNU offices, retrieve the canister, and flee back to District 9 with MNU forces in pursuit. Appalled by the illegal experiments on his fellow aliens at MNU headquarters, Christopher says he must use all the fuel to get help before curing Wikus, but the trip to the alien planet and back will take three years. Wikus becomes enraged and attacks Christopher, then hijacks the command module which is almost immediately shot down. Venter and his men seize Wikus and Christopher, but Obesandjo's gang ambushes the MNU convoy and captures Wikus, as Obesandjo believes that eating Wikus' mutated arm will give him the ability to use alien weaponry. Obesandjo's base is then surrounded by MNU and a firefight ensues.
In the downed command module, Christopher's son activates the mothership and an alien mechanized battle suit which saves Wikus by killing Obesandjo and his men. Wikus takes control of the battle suit and rescues Christopher, shielding him as they run to the command module. Wikus aids Christopher's escape by staying behind and holding off the MNU troops. Christopher promises to return in three years before making his way to the command module. Wikus kills all the troops except Venter, who cripples his suit and forces it to eject him. As Wikus is cornered by Venter, a group of aliens ambush Venter, tearing him to pieces. Christopher leaves in the mothership with his son as Johannesburg's residents celebrate its departure.
A series of interviews and news broadcasts are shown, with people theorizing about Wikus' whereabouts and the potential return of the mothership, and what it could entail. MNU's illegal experiments on the aliens are uncovered and exposed. District 9 is completely demolished, with all the aliens having been moved to the new larger District 10 farther from the city. Wikus' wife Tania finds a metal flower on her doorstep, giving her hope that Wikus is still alive. The final scene shows what appears to be a fully transformed Wikus crafting a similar flower in a scrapyard.
(courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_9)
The Criticism:
"District 9" depicts an imaginary scenario wherein aliens who have made Earth their home are subjected to racial discrimination and abusive behavior by the dominating human forces. The political view of the human population (or rather, the majority of it) towards the alien settlers mirrors the view of the Americans on the African population during the apartheid. The "prawns", as they are called, are subjected to much humiliation from the media, are separated from the humans and located on a village not unlike the familiar slums, and are used as guinea pigs by the government in their search to learn the aliens' advanced technology and weaponry which often result to their deaths. "District 9" presents an alternate view of reality and creates an air of sympathy and disgust for both the human characters as well as the alien settlers.
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