Don't believe the hype - starts nice but get consistently worse

Rating: 6/10 (19 September 2009)

Apparently audiences around the world are so starved for a movie that lives up or exceeds expectations that they are willing to take anything that is mildly interesting and proclaim it's an awesome movie. That's really the only explanation I have for the incredible overrating of "District 9".
This sci-fi movie starts out with a very interesting premise, of aliens being stranded on earth, forced to live in a slum, and constantly abuses and scammed by the humans. The first thirty minutes of the movie, shot in mock documentary style, are actually very refreshing, interesting, and poignant. There is even some social commentary, which, although very obvious (I don't even know if this still qualifies as an allegory for Apartheid, it's extremely thinly veiled) is very welcome in a blockbuster.
But the "secrets" hinted at in the (admittedly excellent) marketing campaign are never revealed. Instead, the movie soon evolves into a fairly standard action romp/buddy movie..and carries with it just about every cliché in the genre.
Granted, the action is decent and it seeing alien weaponry disintegrate stuff never really gets old. But when there is no disintegration going on, you can't help but cringe at the unbelievable sentimental moments, the incredibly predictability of the second half of the movie, and the vast amount of plot holes.
I kept hoping there would be some great twist that explained why the vastly superior aliens allowed themselves to be trapped on earth and treated like dirt, or why exactly one of them bothered to try to return home, or why on earth somebody would but surface-to-air missiles in a slum, or a dozen other things. The twist never comes though, and what we are left with is a very silly and very predictable second half of a movie.
Don't believe the hype. "District 9" has an excellent marketing campaign and an interesting premise, but it's little more than a below average action movie in the end