Well done, off-beat science fiction film

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2017)

'District 9' is a not particularly subtle commentary on apartheid and refugee politics. A immense alien ship appears over Johannesburg, populated by what appear to be destitute aliens who are subsequently held in a squalid camp (District 9) where they are exploited by humans (governments, NGOs and the criminal element), all of whom are interested in their technology. Enter a bumbling bureaucrat who, after being exposed to an alien element, begins a painful and humiliating metamorphosis and who, in the end, brings hope to the off-worlders. The cinematography and special effects are outstanding, especially the crustaceanoid aliens (known by their specific pejorative: "prawns") and their technology. The film deftly ties satire, black comedy, and action together into an interesting, almost moving, story (admittedly the advancement of which requires a lot of off-screen luck for the characters as well as for a lot of bullets to miss their targets).