Noteworthy attempt at something different but still left seeking asylum

Rating: 7/10 (6 September 2009)

I watched District 9 last night in a brimming auditorium in London on the second night of its general release and to be totally honest the audience reaction was mixed. I speculate about half the attendees went home satisfied - these would have been science fiction fans mainly but anyone who has a taste for the alternative will certainly have got a kick out of it (I categorize myself as the latter).
In my humble opinion District 9 is a solid attempt to create an original sci-fi film and it deserves credit for approaching a somewhat stale 'Alien Invasion' genre and inoculating it with some innovative ideas.
District 9 is not without its faults however, and there are more than a few. In my opinion the film falls down in a few key areas...
1) Narrative/direction: This is not consistent throughout the film i.e. the style of storytelling alters as the film progresses but this is not done in a smooth or convincing manner and does more to confound than impress. To elucidate on one annoyance - part of the film is shot with shoddy hand-held cameras and then suddenly it switches to standard camera type.
2) Plot: Laden with holes to be honest! OK so I don't expect any sci-fi film to be backed up by rigorous science or even governed by moderate rationality. But there is only so much you can expect the average audience member to buy... There are several inexplicable plot holes in the film. For instance, the earth-bound aliens appear to harbour highly advanced weaponry, which for some bizarre reason they choose not utilise. Instead they accept their impoverished circumstances and choose to trade their over-sized weaponry for cat food. Meanwhile the alien mother ship has been hovering above Johannesburg for 20 years, languishing in wait, seemingly unperturbed by either alien or human intervention - this is a ridiculous scenario if you stop and think about it. There would be a global response to alien invasion and there would no doubt be hordes of scientists up there investigating it.
3) Acting: The protagonist, Vikus, is highly entertaining and I'm not criticizing his performance at all by mentioning the acting. The rest of the cast were quite woeful. Sometimes I agree that its good to get fresh faces onto the big screen but in all honesty I think a lot of the actors in this film were promoted above their station - This probably has something to do with trying to use a 100% South African cast.
Apart from the distended asides this film really is worth watching if you fancy a turn away from the polished but predictable and usually tame Hollywood efforts at science fiction.
7/10