Good first half, terrible conclusion

Rating: 6/10 (25 April 2010)

"District 9" was one of the ten nominated movies for best picture in the last Oscar. Produced by Peter Jackson (director of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy) and directed by the out comer Neill Blomkamp, the movie got a lot of good reviews and became the most surprising film of the season, not only in USA, but also in Brazil.
The plot of the film is very interesting: an alien starship stops over Johannesburg, South African capital. Instead of attacking the humans or trying to colonize Earth, the aliens are moved by humans to a district (named "nine"), which is protected from human invasions. Global leaders decide to invest money and time in taking care of the aliens, what causes diplomatic problems. The district expands to a slum as chaotic as some of Rio De Janeiro's slums. Because of that, the humans decide to move the aliens to a new district (named "ten"), away from the urban centers.
The special effects of "District 9" are stunning, specially when we consider the cost of production (US$ 30 million). The aliens never seem full or unbelievable and the have their own developed language. The first part of the film is very exciting because the director decides to tell the story in a documentary form. Besides, there's not an obvious chronological order, which makes the spectator think and try to understand/predict what's coming next. The sound editing is brilliant, mixing the aliens' voice and the sounds of their weapons with the dialogs and a sad soundtrack.
However, the second half is disappointing. The film follows the main character in his survival journey, becoming an ordinary and predictable action movie. The discussions that the district 9 itself could make are overlooked by a boring character and his adventure - that is sometimes over-exaggerated, even dealing with a sci-fi movie.
To sum up, "District 9" could be much better if the story had taken the intelligent way and not the standardized one. In spite of it, I recommend it to sci-fi fans, specially because of the form the aliens are shown (not only visually, but also psychologically).