Kitchen sink scifi allegory ... but it works

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2010)

As an allegory for all refugees (particularly the Palestinians), there's certainly nothing original about "District 9". The plot includes elements of "Alien Nation," "The Fly," "Robocop," "E.T.," and, of all things, "Laserblast" and "A.L.F.". Sharlto Copley plays his bungling bureaucrat as a mix of Steve Martin's "Inspector Clouseau," Jonathan Pryce's "Sam Lowry" and Linda Hamilton's "Sarah Connor" in "The Terminator". At first I had trouble Copley's performance; then, I realized it was key to caring about his character's fate.
The cinema verite used in "District 9," while effective, was much better executed in "Cloverfield;" which is, also, a much better movie. Nonetheless, "District 9" works well. I give it a "7" out of "10".