District 9 uses fake documentary techniques to blur the lines between reality and fiction, and to portray the confrontation between aliens and humans in a realistic way. It is considered a unique science fiction film that emphasizes completeness over novelty and stimulates the imagination. This gives it a differentiated appeal from existing science fiction movies.

Reality science fiction films utilizing fake documentary techniques

Aside from the earliest science fiction films, the most popular science fiction films made since the 1980s are Alien, Terminator, Robocop, and Star Wars. These movies strongly instill in the audience the perception that “this is what science fiction movies are”. You could call them “authentic science fiction movies. However, District 9 feels a bit distant from the common science fiction movies of the past. This may sound as if District 9 is a weak science fiction movie. That’s because it feels like a true sci-fi movie would have to include tons of computer graphics, tons of action, and lots of war scenes. Indeed, some critics of District 9 have suggested that the movie’s visuals are clunky and grainy compared to the other slick productions we’re seeing these days. But the lifeblood of a sci-fi movie isn’t its graphics or sound effects. It’s the imagination that only science fiction movies can offer that makes them more compelling than anything else. District 9 also has a philosophical message, which is what science fiction movies are all about. The crude and grainy graphics emphasize the horrors of the aliens’ world, and the audience is able to see the conflict between humans and aliens more clearly. In this respect, District 9 is somewhat comparable to a traditional sci-fi movie, but it doesn’t make it any weaker as a sci-fi movie. If anything, it’s more intense.
Director Neill Blomkamp’s directorial technique naturally blurs the lines between reality and fiction while the audience is absorbing the movie. He makes full use of documentary techniques to create a very realistic reality. This is called faux documentary (mockumentary) or semi-documentary. ‘District 9’ is a dramatic entertainment disguised as a fake documentary, and it is an original product of the imagination of existing science fiction films, using interviews and investigative footage from the very beginning to present a vast amount of information disguised as facts. It is also an experimental prop that proves what can be achieved from a small idea, and a science fiction variant that hybridizes the methodology of existing Hollywood commercial films. However, even though it uses the fresh method of fake documentary, it cannot be said to be completely different from existing science fiction films. Fake documentaries are merely a device used to enhance reality, not a completely different version of the story. Cloverfield, for example, is a science fiction movie with a fake documentary format. When I saw it before District 9, I felt like it was just another monster movie, and I didn’t see the message the director was trying to convey. It’s not that the movie was a complete flop, but if it had been as masterful as District 9, the fake documentary format wouldn’t have been enough to make the difference. In the end, the fake documentary in District 9 enhances the realism of the movie itself, giving the audience a more realistic approach and focus. This is evident in the fact that the film’s third-person narrative shifts to focus on the protagonist, Vickers, in the middle, and the fake documentary is used to emphasize the objectivity and immediacy of the first half. The decisive power of District 9 comes not from the fake documentary, but from the science fiction archetype. This is because the real plot of the movie is how a weak human being acquires the body of a strong alien and uses his strength to overpower his enemies and resolve the conflict. In the end, ‘District 9’ is based on the imagination and driving force of existing science fiction movies, and its unique development contributes greatly to its success. It would be unfair to say that the faux documentary format alone is an original product. I agree that it is a hybridization of the methodology of Hollywood commercial films. District 9 is a unique composition of fake documentary in the imagination of existing science fiction films, and it is in line with the methodology of Hollywood commercial films in that it made a huge profit with a small production budget for a science fiction film. What sci-fi movie isn’t commercial?

Science fiction movies that are not novel in their subject matter but create novelty

Science fiction writers and critics often point to the novelty of the material as the most important aspect of a science fiction movie. They say that if the choice of subject matter or story development leaves an impression of having seen it before, or if the ending is predictable, it is not novel and the value of the work is reduced. They say that the giant flying saucer over Johannesburg in District 9 is not very novel. They’ve seen similar settings in other movies and works, and they’ve even written short stories with similar settings themselves. In response, the sci-fi writer pushes back against those who say that District 9 is not novel and therefore not good. But does novelty alone guarantee workability? For example, suppose you’re writing a story about giant flying saucers in ancient times. It’s easy to start because the combination of materials is so novel. We’ve all watched historical dramas on TV and seen American science fiction movies with flying saucers, so the combination of these two elements isn’t that foreign to us. However, the next step is where the creators immediately run into difficulties. The clichéd plot of an American movie about aliens doesn’t work in ancient times, so what’s needed to make it work is creativity. Which is more novel: a giant flying saucer over a provincial capital city during an ancient dynasty in the East, or a flying saucer over Johannesburg? Both are novel because of their unexpected appearance, but the former seems more novel given the requirements of the time. And given that science fiction is a product of Hollywood, the ancient dynasties of the East seem more novel than Johannesburg. But in fact, this question is pointless, because in the end, neither is novel. As a science fiction movie, novelty is already expected wherever flying saucers appear.
What does it mean to be novel but not novel? Science fiction movies basically need to be novel in order to be successful. It has to pique the audience’s curiosity with something they haven’t seen before. However, the world of science fiction is a world that can never be novel because, paradoxically, the subject matter itself is mostly what goes around in circles. Therefore, the novelty of the subject matter is inevitably part of the criteria by which a movie is judged. Some science fiction films often fall into this logic of contradictions and become irrelevant. While this can happen to other films as well, depending on how they are evaluated by different disciplines, it happens more often in science fiction films, where novelty is emphasized to the point where it replaces evaluation of the work as a whole. So why is novelty emphasized in science fiction films? Of course, novelty is important in other movies as well. It’s an important factor in the audience’s initial choice of a movie. The evaluation of a movie’s quality comes after the fact. In this respect, District 9 can be a great example for sci-fi critics who emphasize the novelty of the material.
Many critics of District 9 argue that the movie is unoriginal, saying that the setting itself is unremarkable. Some even argue that mass migration is an archetype of science fiction itself, and that comparing socially marginalized groups to aliens is a clichéd trope that’s often seen outside of science fiction. However, I believe that the appeal of District 9 lies in the simplicity of its setting, and since the entire movie is summarized by the phrase “aliens in Johannesburg,” it has a low barrier to entry, is easy to advertise, and has a lot of appeal. First of all, the simplicity of District 9’s setting goes without saying. There are no complicated relationships between characters, and there’s no science to digest. However, it is the combination of science fiction and documentary that allows this simplicity to overcome the glamor of science fiction. Director Neill Blomkamp uses faux documentary techniques to make the audience feel like the fictional story is real. The low barrier to entry and easy advertising didn’t make the movie a masterpiece, but rather a foundation for a masterpiece with a subtle genre twist. The setting of this fake documentary may seem unusual to those who are used to the conventional sci-fi movie. The idea that mass migration and the comparison of marginalized groups to aliens is a cliché also seems to be a misguided way of looking at the movie. We should be able to see the forest for the trees, not just the basic material. One of the most interesting aspects of District 9 is the unusual confrontation between aliens and humans. In most sci-fi movies, aliens invade Earth and humans fight back through war, but in District 9, the aliens’ spaceship crash-lands and they are trapped and quarantined in a forbidden zone. This fresh composition fulfills the role of a science fiction movie because it evokes various imaginations in the audience. A science fiction movie should not just be a feast for the eyes, but should also engage the audience’s imagination. From this perspective, District 9 is not a movie that lacks novelty.
There have been countless science fiction movies made since the beginning of cinema history. Over the years, computer graphics technology has improved, allowing for more diverse material. I would like to define the meaning of novelty differently: science fiction movies are bound to represent and be bound to the past to a certain extent, so the fact that the subject matter of a science fiction movie is a confrontation between humans and aliens is not a reason to diminish its novelty. It’s how the director utilizes this material and how much imagination he or she gives us that determines the novelty of a movie. Luckily, District 9 completely breaks the formula and adds enough of the director’s personality to make it feel new.
Unlike those who find the novelty of a science fiction movie in its subject matter, I believe that the novelty of a science fiction movie comes from its quality, because in a fake documentary structure, if the creator does not give up on the quality of the work, the novelty will come naturally. This supports my earlier opinion that fake documentary can’t be the entirety of a work’s originality. The faux-documentary structure is not the only thing that makes a faux-documentary stand out, but also the completeness of the work. This can be seen in the case of District 9, which became a masterpiece and highlighted the fake documentary as a novelty, and Cloverfield, which became a disappointment.