The Futuristic Slum of District 9

Yesterday I watched District 9. I first saw previews about this movie some time ago, and it looked quite interesting. I was not disappointed. Shown from a documentary-type point of view, the movie depicts a group of aliens who arrived from elsewhere in a broken down ship that hangs over the Johannesburg skyline. The movie is full of action and its story keeps the viewer engaged.
Similar to the movies and show Alien Nation, these aliens have come to Earth escaping from home. Humanity appears to be divided between those who welcome the aliens and those who see them as dregs and sub-human. The largest difference between the two is that while the aliens of Alien Nation look more human and landed in the United States, while the aliens of District 9 land in South Africa.
For some, this might not seem as big of a difference. However, one can see a subtle critique of multinational government that lies within the movie. The aliens of Alien Nation, even though they have to deal with racism and distrust of humans, many integrate themselves into human society. The aliens of District 9 are ghettoized. They live in shantytowns, sifting through garbage and generally seen as trash by the general human population. They are controlled by a new international government organization, called the Multinational United. Possessing its own military and manufacturing base, this organization is responsible for housing the aliens and learning as much as can be gleaned from them. While it might have been intentional that this is a corporation, much of the MNU smacks of the UN.
Completely bureaucratized, the MNU doesn't treat its charges well, from putting them into the shantytown of District 9 to the forced relocation of District 10 and the experimentation done on them. No concept of freedom is given to the aliens, and they are seen sifting through trash throughout the movie, living in despicable conditions. They have their own agenda though, one that might not seem as alien to the human viewers of the movie.
This movie is worth the time spent watching it. It puts our own human insecurities up front and center, by showing us that even if they look different, often they are not so much. Along with the bad side of humanity, it shows our good as well, from bringing strange creatures to live and thrive on our world to self sacrifice for them. I enjoyed the movie very much, and I would think that most would as well.