Most brilliant science fiction film since Blade Runner

Rating: 9/10 (14 August 2009)

It lived up to the hype. I thought we'd get another Cloverfield with the viral marketing campaign.
I'm impressed. Most science fiction films don't do that for me. District 9 is widely being hailed as the best movie to come out in 2009. I wouldn't argue with that claim one bit.
The visuals are outstanding, the plot/ideas are groundbreaking. Your heart becomes very heavy for these "Prawns" (a racist term for the alien refugees). They are treated very savagely throughout the film. It feels a bit overdone, but given the grim reality of the state of the African continent... some could say that the level of violence and cruelty wasn't too much.
Some of the scenes are almost too cruel to have on-screen. If you were to replace the scary-looking aliens with lets say, a human ethnic minority - I think the movie would almost be too much for even the most hardened viewer.
In the end I found myself a bit choked up. I left the theater asking myself questions that were left unanswered (on purpose, possibly to set up a sequel). I know I've seen a great film if I'm still thinking about it the day after.
I'm sure District 9 will never be too far from my thoughts.
Superb film.