Return of the oppressed. 75/100

Rating: 8/10 (27 August 2009)

This is a superior sci-fi movie, which comes across as a documentary feature, with 'talking heads' interviews, and some hand-held video taping. However, some of the point of view shots make any notion that some scenes were actually part of the documentary ridiculous.
Pointedly set in South Africa, the 'documentary' tells of a massive alien 'mother ship' hovering over the capital of South Africa, Johannesburg. This movie could easily have been set during the 1960s in the US, as far as political commentary goes. However, "apartheid" ended more recently in South Africa than it did in the US. Anyway, we get to see the aliens which live in slums in Johannesburg, as well as their technology, and the talking heads speculate about what is going on why a certain corporation from their country is involved with the aliens. It's this kind of speculation which lifts this above the "B movie" realm.
The central character in this 'documentary' is Wikus Van De Merwe (played by Sharlto Copley). Wikus looks and acts like a South African version of Murray Hewitt (played by Rhys Darby) in the TV sit-com "The flight of the conchords". So, to that extent, this movie does have some light-relief as well as some poignant drama. Wikus is a bureaucrat charged with relocating the unwelcome aliens, so he has direct contact with the funny odd looking aliens from space.
Overall, this is a good movie. If you like this movie, some movies which have overlapping themes and which you may like include: Laserblast and "The fly" (the remake).