Soundtrack Review: District 9 (2009)

This is a review of the motion picture District 9 by Clinton Shorter.

“The sadness and reality of human nature is the endless dilemma which Clinton conveys so well on this score”

In 1990 a huge spaceship hovers over Johannesburg, Africa. Inside it, there are alien refugees coming from their dying world, a lot of them. What do we (the humans) do? Tuck them nicely away in a refugee camp called District 9. This movie has been hailed a masterpiece all over the web and yes, Peter Jackson in the producer. The aliens are feared, after all, we do tend to fear the unknown, so we demand they be moved away, far away from people so the evil aliens can’t attack us. The aliens don’t want that, but the man in charge of this operation Wikus van der Merwe forces them by destroying their houses with some of the aliens inside. Then it turns out to be that old chestnut: “We want the weapons they possess!” type of drama. Relatively unknown composer Clinton Shorter has been given the grand job of composing music for the movie.

Track List

1. District 9 (*****)
   
2. I Want That Arm (****)
3. She Calls (****)
4. Exosuit (*****)
   
5. Harvesting Material (****)
6. Heading Home (****)
7. A Lot of Secrets (*****)
   
8. Back to D9 (****)
9. Wikus Is Still Running (****)
10. Get Him Talking (****)
11. Prawnkus (*****)
    

Ethnic Wailing

The music has a eerie, post-apocalyptic sound to it and it starts of very well with a nice theme called ‘District 9′ that is overshadowed by a man singing (I can only assume this is African), or what others might call “ethnic wailing”. I don’t like that term, perhaps because I enjoy that very much. I don’t think it’s overused in film music. It seems to me that only a few uses it like Hans Zimmer and Steve Jablonsky, and I’m glad that it’s present here. It allows the score to breathe and immediately sets the tone which indicates something of a massive scale. That’s what Clinton Shorter has accomplished, that “massive” sound, and it’s pretty impressive for the most part.

More Tension, Less Action

Clinton hasn’t been tricked into going all action on us either, and even though almost all cues indicate tension with dry percussion and quick strings, it doesn’t reach climax. It suits the film well in my opinion and only the cue ‘Wikus is Still Running’ the pulse is increased a couple of notches. Cues like ‘I Want that Arm’ and ‘She Calls’ makes this score with percussion and pad sounds to drive along the drama. I’m particularly impressed by the cues ‘Exosuit’, ‘A Lot of Secrets’ and finally ‘Prawnkus’ that are wonderful cues which adds to the tight tensions the other cues bring forth. I find it interesting that the best cues also have the man singing his sad and thought provoking song.

Conclusion

Shorter’s style is a little of Hans Zimmer and Bear McCreary, at least on this score. It’s not a bad mix at all as he clearly gets across the story of the movie, even if you haven’t watched it yet. It senses drama and a lot of sadness. The sadness and reality of human nature is the endless dilemma which Clinton conveys so well on this score. There will always be people like Wikus van der Merwe and evil corporations sadly, and the music really gets that message across. Doesn’t matter if it’s in a science fiction setting, history will repeat itself over and over. It’s human nature and that’s why Clinton Shorter succeeds with his take on “District 9″.

Listen to District 9 by Clinton Shorter below:

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Film Review for District 9

Other articles of interest:

• Soundtrack Review: Amelia (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: Agora (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

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