For 20 years, more than 1m aliens, known as prawns, have been living in a dirty, crime-infested refugee camp in Johannesburg called District 9. Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is the man put in charge of evicting the aliens. But when he is exposed to an alien chemical, Wikus starts to turn into a prawn and is hunted by the evil MNU corporation that he once worked for.
Neill Blomkamp's film is done in the style of a documentary - mixing real and fake news footage, home movies, interviews and live on-the-spot reportage - following Wikus and his team as they enter District 9. The film's tone moves easily from the comic to the cruel, and the alien creatures look authentic. From the start, the film promises a fresh and thoughtful slice of Swiftian sci-fi, one that daringly touches on apartheid, black racism and modern attitudes towards refugees.
But, alas, the second part of the film turns into just another man-on-the-run/shoot-out caper with plenty of blood and splatter. Wikus not only turns into an alien but an all-action hero. That said, the first part of the film is an entertaining and touching tale of what happens when humans lose their humanity.
15, 112 mins