A riveting, original and exceptional sci-fi movie

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2009)

District 9 absolutely outstanding in almost every respect. Telling the tale of an atypical alien invasion, the plot fitted the documentary style of direction perfectly and was gripping right from the opening scenes. The story was truly original with a fascinating twist on the typical War of the Worlds/Independence Day modern sci-fi movie. It was remarkable, gripping and thought-provoking, which I believe is becoming increasingly rare in modern cinema.
District 9 avoids modern clichés such as fast-paced plotting and relentless over-editing, instead focusing on plot and character development with a superb dose of action to conclude the film. The film, set in South Africa, features an entirely South African cast of unknowns but was particularly well performed. The score was excellent and was appropriately avoided in the more documentary-style segments of the film to offer a more realistic tone. Similarly, the direction, particularly of the action sequences, was superb; this is even more impressive considering the relatively small budget of the film.
Every once in a while, but not very often, I come out of the cinema feeling truly stunned by a movie. For the fist time in 2009, this happened to me after watching District 9. I struggle to pick out any significant flaws in this movie and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it.
10/10.