District 9 could have been a 9

Rating: 7/10 (14 August 2009)

District 9 had all the makings of a new generation of science fiction films. District 9 had a very interesting concept that could have explored human/alien rights issues and how human beings treat those they do not understand. While the idea was good, the script and the director failed to fully capture the mood that could have produced a very insightful film. District 9 was still an entertaining film. The acting was not the greatest, but it was better than the usual syfy movie of the week. The script was not on par with "Alien" but was better than the typical sci-fi movie and the direction was better than the average "direct from music video" directors we have seen in the past. There were too many holes in the script and the aliens did not receive the screen time that would have made this movie propel into a classic. The inhumanity to the aliens was touched upon, but should have been included more to have a feel for the life that the aliens had to live. Why did aliens with superior weapons allow themselves to be treated this way? Why did the ship come to Earth? How could millions of aliens allow themselves to be beaten and battered? These are things that could have been explored. I still enjoyed the film, but the hype is too much for an above average sci-fi movie.