More dimensional and suspenseful than given

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2016)

District 9 plays out like a different take on suspenseful sci-fi films, but given a serious shot of originality by Blomkamp, whose techniques in particular provide a sense of gritty, grubby realism. Certainly, there's allegorical commentary on apartheid in particular, and segregation and racism in general, but as the film progresses it drifts into more straightforward action movie territory, and culminates with a huge shoot-out.
However having passing through several times, there are echoes of what Blomkamp might have done with a Halo movie here as alien weapons spit plasma, exo-armour blasts its way through massed foes, and drop-ships take to the skies. It's pretty cool, actually. But alongside the wham- bang, Blomkamp doesn't lose sight of a human, or human-prawn, story as the Wikus, affectingly played by Copley, undergoes a transformation, and forms an emotive bond with Christopher. As a rewatch 03/18/20' and four years after the initial viewing, much memory of the film was forgotten but remembered that District 9 was a great watch. Having paying closer attention to detail on this rewatch, and possibly discovering more details than had not previously noticed, this film is quite a rare sci-if film and a masterpiece. Having enjoyed it better in its second viewing.