Is District 9 Racist?

i do not think the movies were racist. some nigerians, even other africans, still believe in "voodoo" rituals. i loved the role they played in the movie and i do not think of them any differently just because of how they might have been depicted in it. it was such a good movie though...

Spoiler Alert: Don't continue if you don't want plot points revealed.

I agree with Jenn -- the real opposition in this film is not between white and black but between humans and aliens, with the aliens looking better in the end. The Nigerian gang is certainly a bunch of vicious thugs, but when Wikus van der Merwe starts to change into an alien, their interest in him is exactly the same as that of the white elite. They want to dismantle his body in order to access his power. But the Nigerians are at least proposing to do this to a stranger and a representative of the repressive government, while on the white side it is Wikus's own father-in-law who proposes to vivisect him without anesthesia.

I did see the film and took it in the context of the main thrust of the movie, which was how the aliens were being treated and experimented on secretly which in reality was the same as we treat each other in such situations. I actually hope that depicting the slums of Soweto as they really look will open some eyes to the plight of the people who live there. The Nigerian group depicted in the movie were weapons suppliers and terrorists who wanted more power and thought the aliens could give it to them through those rituals. Was that part based on race or simply showing what greed does to a human being searching for power? Also, if you did see it you would note that the white people who worked for MNU weren't exactly depicted as saints either, though I do believe that was realistic in terms of what we actually see going on today with the corporate military complex. All in all, a disturbing movie about the immorality of human beings in general, with an overarching theme that there are still some who above it all (the main character both human and alien) still possess the ability to show respect across species.

booksellergirl,
first off, i have not seen this movie, and i really want to, but do you remember all the wars, and sh** that happened in the past, its the nature of humans to be greedy and bloodthirsty. And when i first saw the trailer, i was completely lost, but i really want to see that movie, and then maybe my opinion will change after that.