Hard-core prawn action.

Rating: 8/10 (7 September 2013)

In a plot designed to mirror apartheid, a race of extraterrestrials arrive in Jo'burg where they are segregated from the humans in a ramshackle slum known as District 9. After 20 years, with tension rising between the races, it is decided that the aliens (known derisively as 'prawns') should be relocated further away from the city; city official Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is given the task of overseeing the operation, but things go awry after he is exposed to alien biotechnology that slowly mutates his body.
Writer/director Neill Blomkamp's first full length feature is such a technically slick film that it's is easy to forgive its glaring plot holes. The story can be picked apart like a king prawn, but Blomkamp's assured storytelling and expertise in visual effects ensure that, even though certain elements make little sense when given too much thought, the film is a thoroughly entertaining experience from start to finish. Solid performances (anyone who lets the South African accent bother them should stick to mainstream Hollywood films) and superb CGI (especially when considering the budget) go a long way to making this a hugely enjoyable piece of popcorn fun despite the obvious flaws.