ABSTRACT
The year 2009 brought to theaters worldwide two Oscar-nominated, science fiction blockbusters investigating postcolonial themes: Avatar and District 9. Released within six months of each other, the films engage in an unintended dialogue about contemporary attitudes toward colonial encounters. 1 Although using the same science fiction tropes—human–alien conflict over land and humans becoming alien hybrids—the films in many ways work at cross-purposes. These illuminating differences between the films lead me to begin what will ultimately be an analysis of District 9 with a comparison to Avatar.
