One of the most talked-about films of the year sees a gigantic alien spaceship hovering over Johannesburg and instead of invasion or other offensive behaviour the aliens are peaceful and are rewarded for their behaviour by being interned in the eponymous District 9 which is to all intents and purposes a concentration camp (and I mean this to be as developed by the British in the Boer War and not the better-known evil Nazi version).
It has been repeatedly remarked that this is an allegory of apartheid which is fairly self-evident.The story revolves around the authorities and their attempts to relocate the aliens (who are dismissively nicknamed "Prawns" owing to their piscine appearance) to the imaginatively-titled District 10.The first part of the film is shown documentary-style as the central government officer leads the raids to persuade the aliens to leave - a convenient plot device sees him slowly being transformed into one of them and he starts to understand their plight,especially when he discovers that the alien weaponry which is greedily coveted by various persons can only be operated by them.
The closing third or so of the film is more standard SF fare as our "hero" aided by a friendly alien battle mercenaries and Nigerian gangsters to escape - and the weaponry is very powerful indeed - some great special effects.The friendly alien manages to escape to his ship and fly it away leaving thousands of his kind on Earth with plenty of scope for a sequel.
Very good storyline which brings something fresh to the SF oeuvre.Excellent.8/10
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