District 9 (2009)

Rating: 7/10 (18 March 2020)

Directed by Neill Blomkamp. Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Louis Minnaar, William Allen Young, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Robert Hobbs, Kenneth Nkosi, Marian Hooman. (R)
Ambitious, allegorical science fiction film presents a Johannesburg that houses (imprisons) a large group of aliens that arrived on Earth a few decades earlier inside a large, walled district that has the appearance of ghetto slums in a warzone. Presentation of xenophobia through apartheid parallels is on the nose enough to be heavy-handed, but it's still a good message, ripe for blistering commentary that shines through the more thoughtful first act, less so during the action-heavy final act. Copley's irresponsible diplomat is an unlikable protagonist who doesn't particularly earn redemption, but at least the characterization shakes off the easy mantle of the "white savior" device. Creative and well-mounted production, assembled in a style that mixes faux-documentary talking heads, found footage, and traditional filmmaking; it's just a shame that they didn't follow through on those sharp, funny and tragic early scenes that held the promise of greatness. Based on director Blomkamp's short film "Alive in Joburg."
72/100