Good film, but vaguely disappointing

Rating: 9/10 (22 August 2009)

Before seeing this film I read the reviews, watched the trailer and the short film on which the film was based. I was expecting a different type of sci-fi, something rather unusual and perhaps even intelligent.
The film was generally as good as I had expected, but I was left with a feeling of disappointment. It wasn't as good as it could have been. There were a lot of details, many regarding the plot, which could have been dealt with better.
=Spoliers=
The documentary approach was a great idea, but resulted in a rather unprofessional feel to much of the film. It needed a defter touch to work.
The device of placing an "everyman" in a central position, well beyond his abilities, and then seeing him respond to adversity was good. But the blatant nepotism that got him there was ridiculously far-fetched.
The idea of an alien spaceship sitting motionless above Joburg for 20 years was good, but the consequences of that were not well thought through.
The implication is that the million or so aliens were simply planted on vacant land and left to look after themselves. They were fenced in, but there was no sign of any accommodation being built, food supplied, or any organisation set up. We know that the aliens were leaderless, so why was no leadership provided? There is no explanation as to why a private multi-national organisation should be responsible for running (or rather not running) the camp. There is apparently no government or UN involvement at all.
This camp is in the middle of South Africa's biggest city, a city teeming with indigenous black gangs. Yet "Nigerians" set up a criminal black market, and seem to supply all the food consumed in the district. An obvious device to avoid political criticism. But we all know that crime is rampant in South Africa, so it would have been better to have had local villains, rather than artificially passing the buck to the Nigerians.
Is it credible that the authorities, or rather MNU, should allow "Nigerians" to openly collect alien weapons, especially when the company desperately wants them?
When, after an incredible 20 years, it is decided that the aliens should be moved to a purpose-built camp, there is no sign of any organisation or planning to actually move them. Simply a quasi-military invasion. The convoy of Casspirs seem to been there solely to accompany Wikus, who seems to have been personally serving eviction notices on all of the inhabitants. An earlier office meeting suggests others are involved, but they are not seen or referred to.
Although the inhabitants are given 24 hours notice to move, there is no attempt thereafter to move any of them.
Although the aliens are fenced in, they seem to freely roam into "non-Alien" areas, we are led to presume to rape and kill (and eat) humans. Wickus also has no trouble getting through the fence. So what is the purpose of the fence if it don't work?
There are supposedly millions of aliens, yet we never see more than a handful at a time. No crowd scenes. If there is rioting in the townships, there should be crowds.
When Wikus is infected, he is treated worse than a lab rat would be. The company may be utterly ruthless, but it also comes across as utterly incompetent.
The "colonel" is a stereotypical homicidal military nutter, all bluster and aggression. Totally unrealistic.
Finally, the aliens had been preparing enough fuel to enable the "command module" to fly to the mothership. Not enough fuel to power the mothership itself. Yet once the command module was activated it was drawn to the mothership may magnetism, and didn't even need its own power. If the mothership itself could return home, why didn't it take the rest of the aliens with it?
If I had been Peter Jackson, and doing my job, I would have sent the plot summary back to Neill, and told him to sort out the details. Instead he seems to have closed his eyes and finished a half-baked idea. The possibility of a sequel is left open. Next time I hope that a more experienced director is used, or at least that the plot and script be given more careful thought.