For my money, the best film to be released in 2009 was a sleeper candidate: the thoughtful and clever District 9. More than any other of the year’s breathlessly hyped action/sci-fi titles such as Watchmen, Terminator: Salvation, or even the well-received Star Trek reboot, D9 manifests itself as a complete product that blends top-notch storytelling, acting and visual effects. Even better, it correctly anticipates and addresses potential critiques, and does so with a defined, invigorated sense of purpose.
The film’s ingenious premise — a yarn about malnourished alien refugees unexpectedly marooned in South Africa for nearly three decades, unable to leave for a lack of rocket fuel and quarantined at the mercy of corrupt, self-serving human handlers — is explored with a deft, understated touch. Using a mix of mock news footage, talking head interviews, man-on-the-street cinéma vérité and seamless GCI, the director Neill Blomkamp (an up-and-coming auteur hand-picked by Peter Jackson himself on the strength of a previous video short and some slick commercial work) tries to imagine what implications such a development would have for society. Commerce, diet, drugs, sex, prejudice, racism, class, coercion, natural resources, religion, bio-technology, next-gen weaponry, black market profiteering — all are presented as gritty and realistic touchstones for debate, and naturally enough, inter-species conflict. Obviously, there’s also the rich allegorical backdrop invoked by the South African location; the black stain of apartheid is never directly discussed, but it’s certainly there, hovering above the film, much as the film’s massive alien spacecraft looms over the Johannesburg skyline. Taking a bleak view of the human condition, Blomkamp isn’t afraid to make the argument that oppression — and opportunity — is a relative and arbitrary construct.
District 9 is also that total rarity in today’s hyper-saturated marketplace: an original creation born independently of any pre-existing video game, toy, book, cartoon, comic book, or related platform. That alone distinguishes it and makes it worthy of your patronage.
In any case, here are the best District 9 tee designs that caught my eye. I intended initially to compile a gallery of 9 such shirts — how apropos — but was forced to scale it back in the course of my research Google sleuthing; there simply aren’t that many compelling options available online, a sign, perhaps of the uncertain expectations that accompanied the film’s release. As always, click on the pics to link through…
1. This top features a clean interface that is reminiscent of a public service announcement or a political campaign.
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