the humanity of prawns

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2010)

A blend of wry comedy, social critique and sci-fi, District 9 is a genre hybrid that works on every level. A deceptively simple script weaves in its references to apartheid specifically and prejudice generally in a subtle but recognizable manner. However, that is more a motif than central concern in this character-driven tale of one man's journey to discover his own humanity through forging a connection with... well, a large prawn.
Containing acceptable and unobtrusive CGI, and decent action sequences, the film's stand-out element is the performance by Sharlto Copley as Wikus Van De Merwe. A low-level official catapulted through nepotism to a status he is ill-equipped to handle, Wikus finds himself infected by alien technology to the point where his very existence is threatened.
And that is as much as you need to know, because like many viewers, I came to District 9 with certain expectations induced by the hype, but found it refreshingly different. A judicious splash of humour is threaded through, mostly regarding sex with ugly aliens (and the aliens are protected by "human rights" groups), and humane feeling is with the aliens, of course. In the longer term, this film may just cause a seismic genre shift. After District 9, it may be difficult to take seriously yet another film that has a spaceship settle on Manhattan as its final destination. Expect the likes of Bogota, Tripoli, Kobe and Glasgow to be the future dropping-off points.
Fresh, entertaining, moving and socially relevant, District 9 is a multi-layered film that even gets away with an ending mostly designed to set up a sequel. Down and dirty sci-fi at its best.