Egad!

Rating: 2/10 (3 September 2009)

I read the reviews. Came to this site and read the glowing comments, comparing the film to the likes of "Blade Runner," the original "Alien," John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing," among others. Said to myself "I gotta see this." Did.
Now I'm wondering: did I see the same film as those who sang its praises? Because what I saw was a REALLY BAD MOVIE, with virtually NO redeeming qualities.
OK, the special effects were all right, but the special effects are ALWAYS all right these days. And the 'documentary' feel initially drew me in, but then failed to deliver, the jerky, hand-held camera becoming tediously affected and ultimately, through overuse, genuinely annoying.
Was there a point to this film, other than to invite us to substitute an oppressed minority of our choosing for the prawns? Oh yes, because simple xenophobia wouldn't explain those chopper-borne snipers, we had to graft onto the 'plot,' late in the game, a SOULESS, EVIL CORPORATION.
And the less said about the wild west shoot-em-up at the end, the better -- but I'll say it anyway: "action" is almost always a cover for lack of content, and that was certainly true of "District 9." There was enough ordinance expended to have killed the entire film crew -- including Gaffers and the Best Boy -- at least twice.
If you see this piece of Deck and leave the theater as po'd as I and my companion were, don't blame me. You've been warned.