How long have we had to wait for this?

Rating: 9/10 (19 August 2009)

When I saw this movie for the first time, I was completely blown away. The documentary style of the opening scenes is more than just a film-making conceit: the whole realisation of the characters, the aliens, the slum is treated in a matter of fact way. No big reveals or false buildups to be seen. And this prosaic approach perversely gives ones reaction to the prawns, probably the most perfectly realised aliens on film so far, more of a sense of wonder than if they had been given the usual big Hollywood buildup.
In fact to me this same factor explains the success of the film on many levels, and unfortunately a large part of this is the contrast between other recent efforts in the same genre. Watching this movie throws into sharp relief just how unutterably shallow efforts such as the Transformers films and Terminator Salvation really are, to name but two. For example, the main character's climactic battle in the alien power suit more than held its own against any action sequence you can name, being genuinely viscerally exciting, but the development of the character through the film, the beautifully understated and touching relationship with his wife, and even the development of his relationship with Christopher, the alien he was trying to protect, also made it profoundly affecting at the same time.
It will be very interesting to see how this movie lasts the test of time. Looking back on it the underlying plot is only just strong enough to carry the film, and there are a number of implausibilities that call for the willing suspension of disbelief just a little too often. However, as a movie of its time, it currently stands out like a lush tropical glade in the middle of an otherwise pretty barren desert for the sf fan. Please please let this be the first step in a new direction.