#prawn wikus

[toad-in-a-trenchcoat]

messy wikus drawing

first contribution to D9 fandom

[wewatchyoujuno]

my d9 prawn designs.. sorry for no little cj i couldn't fit him in,,, skitters away

[gil-notskajla]

today i bring you a prawn. tomorrow? who knows, maybe another prawn | ko-fi

[nightlightrequested]

[zima74824]

OK, so I rewatch district 9 again I have a theory we all know who Christopher Johnson is but just forewarn you there will be spoilers of the movie  he is way different than the normal prawns you would see in the movie so my theory is he’s sentient or he was human my proof back up this theory is the scene where wikus gets terribly sick and starts throwing up. You could see the look on Christopher‘s face when that happens almost like he seen something like that happened before it happened in front of him before he was once human that would explain why he empathizes with wikus throughout the movie because he’s been through it before and that’s why empathizes with humans in general. I always knew he had a soft side, but it makes more sense if he was either sentient or he once was human and had the same thing happened to him would explain why Christopher wears clothes and the other ones are naked except for that prawn wore a bra but otherwise all of them are pretty much just naked

So if my theory is true, how did Cj get exposed? Was he in front of him when Christopher got infected or was it a completely different incident? I don’t know this is my opinion and my theory obviously it’s just the theory obviously so don’t take it seriously but my theory wouldn’t make sense some of the things that happened in the movie. It would also prove how Christopher actually understands English. I did that or he learned it just like some people learn Spanish he also feels bad when he needs to leave to make more fuel as well. He promises 24 years, but it’s already too late for wikus because he turns into prawn at the end of the movie 

[zoobus]

District 9 is still a good movie and I definitely missed some obvious motifs when I first saw it but in retrospect it is like...very weirdly racist against Nigerians. Nigerians whom the aliens' oppression is based upon.

The existence of racism isn't weird but to make a movie about this marginalized and systematically set up for failure group, to get your fantasy racism moments by asking people on the street their opinions of Nigerians and ADR "prawns" over it later, then have all the Nigerians as irrelevant gangsters who wrongly believe in some mystical cannibal* bullshit and exist primarily to deus ex machina wikus out of one specific plot corner. Outside of that, the government, wikus' colleagues, and the general public are greater and better incorporated antagonists.

Anyway, I recommend rewatching stuff you had strong opinions on as a youth, both negative and positive! Fascinating to catch themes you didn't clock the first time, sometimes even find myself 180ing. It's still a great watch.

*cannibal applies to the consumption of any sentient creature, right? Like eating Legalos or Scooby Doo would be cannibalism?

[denisearef]

District 9

"District 9" is set in an alternate version of Johannesburg, where a massive alien spacecraft hovers above the city. The extraterrestrial occupants, known derogatorily as "Prawns," are resettled into a government-controlled district. The narrative centers around Wikus, a bureaucratic functionary assigned to oversee the forced relocation of the aliens. When a mysterious alien substance alters Wikus's biology, he becomes a target for both the government and the aliens. Fleeing to the district he once oversaw, Wikus forms an uneasy alliance with an intelligent alien named Christopher Johnson.

How does the film use human technologies and/or imagined alienness to establish different identities?

The film employs a pseudo-documentary style, blending real-world news footage with filmmaking. The human technologies, such as military weaponry and surveillance equipment, highlight the power dynamics between humans and aliens. The alien technology, on the other hand, is portrayed as highly advanced and mysterious, emphasizing the contrast between the two species.

The imagined alienness is crucial in shaping the narrative's socio-political commentary. The physical appearance of the aliens, resembling insect-like creatures, contributes to their dehumanization. This visual otherness reinforces the xenophobic attitudes prevalent in the film's fictional world, drawing parallels to real-world issues of racism and discrimination.

How does film de-individualize and/or biologically reify alien characters that mimic racial prejudicial and discriminatory practices?

The film de-individualizes the alien characters through various means. Firstly, the aliens are collectively labeled as "Prawns," stripping them of individual identities and reducing them to a derogatory, dehumanizing term. Secondly, their living conditions in the segregated district contribute to their de-individualization, as they are confined to shantytowns, reinforcing a sense of collective suffering.

In what ways does the film depict home for the characters?

For the humans, Johannesburg represents their home, and the arrival of the aliens disrupts this sense of familiarity. The district where the aliens are confined becomes a physical manifestation of their displacement, a makeshift home reflecting their marginalized status.

How does technology inform definitions of home/land, indigenes, and aliens?

The powerful human military technology reinforces the idea of humans as the dominant kind, asserting control over the land. The alien ship, initially a symbol of hope for the aliens' return home, becomes a source of conflict as they all vie for control.

The film suggests that technology, whether human or alien, is a double-edged sword that can be both a tool for empowerment and a catalyst for conflict. The question of who controls the technology becomes central to the characters' struggles for autonomy and a sense of home.

In what ways do the character relations reflect anxieties of racial identity, racial mixing and/or passing, migration, and invasion and/or colonization?

The segregation of the aliens in a specific district echoes the forced segregation of racial groups in apartheid-era South Africa. The relationship between the human protagonist, Wikus Van De Merwe, and the alien Christopher Johnson challenges preconceived notions about racial identity and cooperation.

Wikus undergoes a physical transformation that blurs the lines between human and alien, reflecting the film's exploration of the fluidity and constructed nature of racial identities. The tensions between humans and aliens also mirror historical anxieties about invasion, colonization, and the fear of the unknown "other."

[yesterdanereviews]

District 9 (2009)

Film review #619

Director: Neill Blomkamp

SYNOPSIS: 28 years after an alien ship arrived on Earth hovering over Johannesburg, the alien inhabitants are confined to a section of the city known as "District 9." When the decision is made to "relocate them (forcibly) into a new camp outside of the city, Wikus van de Merwe is put in charge of leading the relocation, but when he is exposed to a strange substance, he finds himself slowly turning into one of the aliens, and is confined to be experimented upon. When he escapes, he seeks the only place where no one will look: district 9...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: District 9 is a 2009 sci-fi film. 28 years after a spacecraft arrives to Earth, stopping to hover directly over Johannesburg. The alien inhabitants were cut free and settled in a sealed-off region of the city known as "District 9." Now, after resentment has grown by humans for the "prawns" living in the city, seeing them as responsible for crime and costly, the government has decided to relocate them to a camp outside of the city, and hired weapons company Multinational united (MNU) to oversee the relocation. The head of the company chooses his son-in-law Wikus van de Merwe to oversee the operation, and they begin the task of delivering notices of eviction to the residents (and relocating them whether they agree or not). Wikus is exposed to a strange substance that slowly turns him into a prawn, which leads to him being contained and used for experiments (particularly in using the alien's weaponry which only they can use). The film's method of storytelling and giving the backdrop to the film through reports, interviews and documentary footage is a bit chaotic but it nevertheless gets the background of what is going on well, and makes it interesting without devolving into just plain exposition. Being set in Johannesburg brings us a setting different from the usual settings of films in New York or Los Angeles, and the location obviously brings up echoes of apartheid with the prawns being fenced off from humans. The film doesn't really lean too much into that though: maybe it's fine with just the setting being enough to offer an analogue between fiction and reality, but it does feel like it's something that should be more of a focal point given the setting, but isn't. There's an element of satire that pervades over proceedings, which complicates things further, but the film is put together in such a way that you don't need to understand all the different levels it is operating on.

The film is at it's best when it offers a raw storytelling, told through all the different types of footage, offering flashes of lore and plot points from all angles that comes together quite nicely. The raw, messiness of the events of the film disrupts a more clean, sterile narrative, and keeps the stakes high. On a negative note, the film does have to fall into very cliché action scenes at points to move things along, which feel very out of place. The scene where Wilke escapes from the lab where he is held makes it seem a bit too easy, given that he was being held under maximum security, he manages to run up some stairs and out into the world with very little issue.

Wilke as a character starts off as a pencil-pusher promoted way beyond his ability, thanks to his Father-in-Law giving him the job (and maybe to take the blame for anything that inevitably goes wrong, the film leaves that open). Wilke seems to have a typical attitude to the alien "prawns," in that he clearly has a negative view of them. His attitude towards them, interestingly, doesn't really change much, even when he is turning into one himself, and he relies on them for help: he is always only thinking about himself. He doesn't really get much of a redemption arc, but he is certainly a victim of humanity, but in a different way to the prawns themselves. It's murky and not clear-cut but I suppose that's what makes it stand out in the sci-fi genre. The prawns themselves are quite convincingly portrayed and brought to life, and though we're not given too much backstory about them, we don't really need it to understand their motives.

Overall, District 9 offers something original enough in the genre, weaving together complex elements and footage to disrupt a typical narrative and brings its messiness to the forefront of the experience, without alienating the viewer. It's chaotic and messy, but clearly intentionally so. There are definitely parts where the film has to resort to more typical filming techniques and narrative points to bridge the gaps, but on the whole it offers enough to make it stand out in the genre, and entertaining enough regardless of how far you wish to dive into the satire and the sub-text of the story.

[lifewithaview]

Sharlto Coplay in District 9 (2009)

In 1982, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns," appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new 'Prawn' friends.

[lithugraph]

Tagged by @puella-peanut. Thanks dear!

3 Ships: 

Hetalia: Lately it’s been a lot of PruLiet, although PruAus is still near and dear to my heart

Star Trek DS9: Garashir.  Do I need to say more??

Villains series by V.E. Schwab: Vic/Mitch.  I know EverVale is the more popular ship in this small fandom (and I shipped it too), but after a re-read, I can’t help but love pale, scrawny rat man Victor Vale and his big beefy guard dog Mitch Turner.

1st Ship: ummm……probably a toss up between John Crichton/Aeryn Sun from Farscape and Wikus van de Merwe and Christopher the Prawn from District 9, lmaoooo!

Last song? Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos

Last movie? I honestly don’t know, it’s been so long since I’ve watched a movie.

Currently consuming: water and air

Currently watching: re-watching DS9.  also the Willow series on Disney+

Currently reading: The Lights of Prague.  The first 100 or so pages are kind of a slog, but it’s starting to pick up!

Currently craving: sleep and more coffee….two diametrically opposed things, but there ya go

Tagging: @a-study-in-dante, @yandereleorio, @morgenlich, @sketchytea, @makwandis, @kyuhu, @chessna2, @rinn-e, and whoever else sees this and wants to join in! no obligation as always

[harderrain-sweetersun]

Blog Post 5: On District 9

There is a wrong way to write Afrofuturism, and Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 achieved exactly that—if a film with zero black protagonists could even be considered Afrofuturism. In a shallow attempt to create a social commentary about xenophobia and otherism, Blomkamp somehow found a way to demonize Black individuals and blackness as a whole. Some of the most obvious depictions of Black individuals as inhuman come from the portrayal of Nigerians in the film. We are introduced to the Nigerian population of District 9 early in the film as a criminal group that relies on scamming the aliens and prostitution to sustain their lifestyle. Nigerians are immediately portrayed as barbaric criminals who jump at the chance to exploit the aliens through selling them cat food at exorbitant prices. Rather than even attempting to provide a reason for why the Nigerian community interacts with the aliens, Blomkamp made the decision to portray these individuals as literal beasts—practicing cannibalism and preying on the aliens who don’t know any better. District 9 attempts to tackle the issue of xenophobia—fearing or hating an outside group simply because they seem different from you—yet in doing so, relied on xenophobic stereotypes against Nigerian people. Scenes with the Nigerians take up very little of the film’s running time, and yet every scene depicts them engaging in acts of barbarism: from eating alien flesh to prostituting themselves to the prawns. In an attempt to spread a message about not demonizing the other, Blomkamp did not hesitate to demonize Nigerian people. Moreover, although scenes with the Nigerians are limited, they are some of the few actual Black characters in the film. The protagonist of the film is a White man, and the Black soldier portrayed holds only a menial role, subservient to Wikus. The message projected by this imagery is clear: the White man is civilized, and the Black man can be reduced to nothing more than criminals, servants, and beasts. 

In response to this critique, those involved with the film’s production have argued that as a science fiction movie, they meant no offense or harm to any real life country or individual. In my opinion, this is the most pathetic excuse for xenophobia I have ever heard from such a large budget film. “District 9”, quite obviously, symbolizes District 6, the inner-city section of Cape Town, South Africa where 60,000 non-White individuals were forcibly segregated during apartheid. The entire film is a thinly-veiled (at most) reference to the xenophobia and racial friction still present in South Africa, characterized by demonization of the other. Yet, in order to make this point, Blomkamp chooses to reinforce dehumanizing stereotypes of Nigerians and blackness as a whole.

[helthehatter]

I think Wikus has bigger eyes that the regular prawn? That or the brownish orange color of them pops off against the green skin

District 9 (2009) dir. Neill Blomkamp

[the-future-of-the-world-is-yours]

Blog Post #5

Although Afrofuturism inherently includes culture, I have enjoyed this recent material and what feels to me- its breadth of culture and creativity. As I watched District 9 projected onto my wall, I was doubtful of its quality and how much I would enjoy it. However, overall, I loved the film. Consistently throughout the themes it found humor or an air of lightheartedness that made the message easier to digest. More simply said, I suppose, it is that they made it entertaining and it was not your regular alien invasion movie. For one, Johannesburg, South Africa, was chosen as the setting in the 80s. Although South Africa would have apartheid during this time, the 2009 film does not make a direct focus on that, but certainly it is implied. As I watched the beginning, I felt myself bracing for an attack from the ship. But then it was seen that the population was suffering and I was shocked to see a humanitarian aid effort as a response. My mind jumped to the handling of “illegal” “aliens” at our own U.S. borders. Yet, it was not before long that we saw more sinister handling of the response. The longer-term effort was an encampment that made me think of UCLA’s own encampment(s) in these recent times. However, focusing back on the government response within the film, we see a task force meant to ethically relocate the alien refugees that citizens of all ethnic backgrounds are found complaining about to the media. The complaints go from mere annoyance to claims of criminality. The allegedly ethical government response that followed included abortion of alien fetuses, physical violence, and illegal evictions and searches. The rest of the film witnesses the growth of the lead agent, Wikus, that perpetrates and makes light of these abuses. It is through his morphosis into an alien or “prawn” as they are degradingly called, that he becomes a recipient of abuse and disbelief by his family and the government he used to so proudly serve. And, of course, the real intentions of the South African government come to light with Wikus’s work at the encampment and his treatment by the government when he begins becoming a “prawn.” The real focus, rather than humanitarian aid, is to obtain better weaponry through the alien technology which can only be used by aliens. This is a pattern we see in a lot of “humanitarian” efforts and U.S. government involvement. On another note, Wikus’s transition to alien is both saddeningly and humorously made light of as the result of sexual relations with a female prawn. This is not what occurred but offers critique to the sensationalizing by the media and the lies that can be perpetuated even against those formerly in power. Unfortunately, this film does have terrible portrayals of the Nigerian population, but I think the film offers so many worthwhile critiques in a format that I believe would touch audiences to see things in a way that they hadn’t otherwise. Or perhaps I give it too much credit, but this film as well as the Carribean folklore of “Greedy Choke Puppy” and the eerie storytelling of “Walking Awake” and “Black Betty” were quite interesting to say the least!

[bl0gs4class]

Blog Post 5

As we get closer to the end of the school quarter, the Afrofuturistic material we have looked at has still surprised me. Recently, we watched and discussed the film District 9. With this film, I had never heard about it before until this class. So, prior to my viewing of the film my only understanding was that there were aliens in the film. Personally, I don’t like to spoil films for myself so I originally thought the film was going to take place somewhere else in space and not on Earth. Thus, it came to my surprise to learn that the film actually takes place on Earth in the city Johannesburg in South Africa. With the film taking place in our actual world but having sci-fi elements, there was a sense of realness to the story; especially with the dehumanization that occurs. The aliens, or prawns as they were called were treated horribly and in a way dehumanized. For example, at one point in the film they attempt to evict them. Additionally, when Wikus starts to turn into a prawn the doctors do nothing and immediately disregard him and view him as an outsider. So, in all honesty, with the way the prawns were treated and essentially dehumanized in my opinion, I could not help but see parallels of their treatment to how unhoused people are continuously treated in Los Angeles. For instance, I’ve seen unhoused people consistently be evicted from areas they have a right to be. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the city/police who do the evicting don’t even attempt to help or give them resources; which further presents the dehumanization unhoused people face. 

On a lighter note, I have been surprised to learn that mythology in a way is a recurring theme that appears throughout some Afrofuturistic works. To me personally, it does make sense as to why mythology is in Afrofuturism since imagination is connected to it often. For instance, in the short story called Greedy Choke Puppy, it is considered to be a mythological story. The mythological aspect of the story is the ‘Soucouyant’ in which it is a Caribbean vampire myth. Furthermore, I’ve also noticed mythology in past works we have looked at such as Beyonce’s “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” Grammy performance where her outfit resembles mythological goddesses in a way. Overall, I continue to be surprised by the characteristics of Afrofuturism.

[gissellesschoolblog]

District 9 and its Paraellels

The film District 9 by Neil Blomkamp is set in South Africa, and while this film is fictional, it parallels real-life explorations of xenophobia and racism. In this film, aliens co-exist with civilians in poor conditions. It becomes evident very quickly that the aliens, or prawns, as they are called, are othered in this film as officials seek to displace them from the only home they have. Further, there is a representation of South Africans in this film, who are depicted quite poorly as criminals. It becomes clear that Blomkamp attempts to make social commentary on Apartheid, which continues to affect non-white populations in South Africa. The aliens' persecution is meant as a metaphor for the current conditions that the black population continues to be subjected to. The title District 9 itself paralleled what was happening in District Six in Cape Town, designated a white-only area, beginning in 1966. After this, non-white people were removed by officials and relocated to an underdeveloped area. The movie presents the aliens already living in poor conditions, surrounded by garbage in almost unlivable conditions, despite this government official still wanting the land. This parallels how, even before the removal of District 6, the government neglected the community, ensuring their marginalization.

It is clear that the othering and xenophobia presented in the film District 9 reflect contemporary issues of marginalized groups that are others. As soon as an individual is not viewed in the privilege class, such as the character Wikus, they begin to experience the everyday hardships of those others. While watching this movie, I could not help correlating different modern-day examples of marginalization that could parallel the movie. For instance, the documentary sheds light on Nike sweatshops in underdeveloped countries, where the company dumps their waste in the same neighborhoods as people working in the factories. Or, in the United States, the Flint water scandal, where members of the community ingested contaminated water due to officials seeking ways to reduce costs and did so in multi-racial communities as they believed nobody would care. Although they were not fully incorrect, while there was public backlash, there was no prosecution of the role of public officials in the crisis. Marginalized communities are targeted and reduced in their resources when privileged individuals determine that their land is now useful to them. District 9 parallels multiple instances of marginalization and xenophobia because there are constant themes of labor exploitation, environmental impact, and scapegoating towards minority groups. While there are flaws in how South Africans were represented in the film District 9, movies like these are essential in exploring social issues and highlighting the unequal treatment of marginalized populations around the world.

[worldcinemaa123]

District 9

"District 9," directed by Neill Block amp, is a science fiction film set in Johannesburg, South Africa, where an alien race, derogatorily called "Prawns," are confined to a slum-like area called District 9. The story follows Wikus van de Merwe, a government agent tasked with relocating the aliens, who becomes infected with a substance that begins to transform him into one of them. This transformation forces him to see the world from the aliens' perspective, leading to a dramatic shift in his character and the narrative, as he fights to survive and help the aliens escape their dire conditions.

I found "District 9" to be a powerful and thought-provoking film. It masterfully blends action and special effects with a deep social commentary on xenophobia and segregation. The raw and gritty documentary-style cinematography added a layer of realism that made the story even more compelling. Watching Wikus's transformation and his eventual empathy for the aliens was both heartbreaking and inspiring, highlighting the potential for change within even the most unlikely individuals. The film's critique of discrimination and abuse of power resonated deeply, making it not just an entertaining movie but also a significant piece of social commentary.