A fantastic film, cannot recommend enough!

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2012)

Amply filling the previously lacklustre genre of South African science fiction, District 9 is one of the smartest, most engaging, emotionally powerful and well directed film I've seen in recent times. It is as simple as that.
Acting as a mirror for the events of the apartheid regime (specifically District 6), this film is a powerful social and political allegory for those events brilliantly moved over to the fictional narrative of an alien race landing on earth. Apart from this, if you do not have much knowledge of that era of South African history (and I am no expect by any means), the film also operates as a fantastic piece of cinema by its own right.
Originally Peter Jackson (who produced) had picked South African director Neill Blomkamp, to direct a film adaption of the Halo game. When this project fell through, Jackson gave Blomkamp around $25 million to make any film, District 9 was an expansion of a 6 minute short film Blomkamp made in 2005 called Alive in Joburg.
Playing the main character is Sharlto Copley, who is absolutely incredible. His Wikus van der Merwe is an incredible character, an utterly fallible real human being. The narrative means that he spans this incredible scope from callous and distant to heroic but never in a linear fashion and he still remains a flawed but identifiable character. It's a marvel of script writing married with great acting.
The direction is beautiful too. Hand-held but visually alive, occasional static CCTV type shots fit right in with the inventive style of directing and considering the director had less than $30 million, the CGI is stunning. Christopher Johnson (the main alien) is almost as emotive as fellow CGI creature Gollum even without being able to speak English. It is a great lesson in how far money can get you in cinema (By contrast, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End cost upwards of $300 million to make....)
Even as the film nears the end and it becomes more of a 'regular' action film (although expertly done), it still retains all the character and style of the preceding events and unlike a lot of films, it ends in a very satisfying way without handing you all the answers. The 'bad guys' too are almost comically nasty, evil laughs and all. It's not hugely detracting but it does seem odd considering how fully realised Wikus is. This is literally the worst criticism I can level at the film and it is not a film-destroying accusation by any means.
Please, please watch this film if you haven't seen it.
I don't usually plead or beg but in this case, I will make an exception.