District 9 Trailer #2 Breakdown (Screencaps)

Yesterday, Yahoo debuted the second trailer for District 9. The response has been pretty positive, especially on our forum. Take a look at the trailer embedded below, then I’ll breakdown the trailer by focusing on the more interesting screencaps.

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The trailer starts off the ominous image of the alien spaceship hanging over the city. The handheld camera in the car points to at least some of the film being shot in the first person, ala Cloverfield.



Another great shot of the alien ship, this time over Johannesburg. The appearance of the ship makes international news (as to be expected).



Here’s an example of those MNU banners being used in the actual film. People really don’t like the aliens being here.



A reporter does a live feed from the entrance of District 9. Looks like there are some protesters in the background. Lots and lots of firepower. I don’t think the President is this well protected.



Our first look at Wikus, the MNU officer that is the protagonist in the film. Doesn’t seem like a particularly brave or interesting guy. More of that first person perspective, in what seems like an MNU documentary being directed by the man in the foreground.



At first, this just seems like another clip of the slums of District 9, but if you look at the ticker, you’ll notice the aliens are being evicted on what looks like a massive scale. Why are they being evicted? Where could they possibly go?



Security camera footage of Wikus, MNU agents, and the documentarian outside an alien house, most likely executing an eviction notice or looking for an alien suspect. Again, more first person camera work.



Wikus squeezes his way into the house. Not sure what’s up with all the newspapers on the wall. Low-income wallpaper?



Inside we see what looks like an alien meth lab or terrorist chemical bomb lab. Wikus is pretty excited about the find, though he’s never seen that “set up” before.



After looking around, Wikus finds this device. He inspects it, but doesn’t know what it is for, despite the alien markings.



In a typical “Let me look into the gun barrel to see what’s wrong” move, Wikus sprays himself. Not good.



Just outside the house, the effects of the spray are already taking effect (no, it’s not constipation).



Now the narrative breaks down and we see a random alien leg running.



Wikus (I assume) is being chased by aliens and MNU. Definitely not good.



Apparently District 9 was hiding some big secrets, and the guy in the suit looks to have found one (not that we can tell what it is, of course).



What the hell is this, Terminator Salvation? Actually, this looks pretty cool. I’m guessing this was part of those secrets of District 9. I can’t imagine MNU would just ignore spaceships buried in the ground.



Some crazy Aliens style robotic suit has an alien in it (See the head?).



Inside the suit, but now it’s Wikus at the helm. I like the 3D projected HUD. Sweet.



Close-up of Wikus in the suit. Love the tech. Check out his eye. Something’s definitely wrong with him.



An alien taking a hunk of metal to Wikus’ head. Must have pissed him off. These guys are so ugly, I can see how easy it would be for MNU to paint them as dangerous. The alien also seems to be a different color (yellow) than we’ve seen before, and it has some things sticking out of it.



Same exact location, but this time the alien is pushing Wikus away. These guys are seriously strong. I’m assuming he swings at Wikus first, THEN pushes him. Must be some fight.



A very quick shot of what I think is the robotic suit jumping.



Ok, here’s the good stuff. Wikus is being called a “freak” off camera and he’s now captured by I assume MNU. Take a close look at his hands. They are dark and big. Could Wikus be turning into an alien? That’d be an interesting idea for a biological warfare.



Now his hands seem fine, but maybe those needles in his arm have something to do with it.



MNU torching the place Wikus was sprayed. Cover up? Aliengate?



Uh oh, more aliens? Extraterrestrial version of rodents or even pets?



Side shot of robosuit with spaceship in background. I like how the front looks like the aliens’ mouths a bit.



Awesome clip of an MNU pickup nailing the robosuit.



Decent front shot of the robosuit. These things look clunky but they get the job done.



I’m thinking there may be more than one robosuit, because this is a lot of action. Awesome catch; I think the Dolphins are looking for a good tight end.



Wikus on some quarantined stretcher. I imagine this is more near the beginning.



Police brutality against an alien. Notice the eyes. Creepy yet sad.



Wikus fighting back with that alien-ized arm.



Wikus using a silly-looking alien shock-wave gun on an MNU agent.


So, what have we learned, class? The story looks pretty straight forward. Wikus goes into a terrorist alien’s house, sprays himself with an alien disease that somehow disfigures him (possibly turns him into an alien or hybrid), and MNU and the aliens are both after him now. This whole episode seems to turn up some big District 9 secrets, and Wikus is right in the middle of it.


The camera work caught my eye the most. Lots of in-world cameras (security camera, documentary handheld camera, news cameras). I imagine this will be used more as an accent to ground the film. It’s pretty gritty stuff (the alien insurgency rumors seem real), so making the film seem more realistic is important, especially when you have extreme technology and aliens. A lot more action than I expected.


I would have to say I’m with the majority on this one. I can’t wait to see the film when it opens August 14th.


Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!