District 9 (2009)

Sci-fi is becoming a very difficult genre to get right, but when it is right, its fantastic. District 9 is a fantastic film, it is thrilling in the right places and emotional in the right places. It is a visually striking example of what it is possible to create digitally; the visual effects rival those of Avatar, and it does not fail to excite. There are plenty of chase and gunfight scenes over the 112 minutes, which seem to fly by.

Neill Blomkamp twists the original recipe into something fresh and new. The concept of setting it in Johannesburg is refreshing, and the idea that the aliens become welcome is cleverly abstract. It explores the aliens points of view, comparing them constantly to humans. They are depicted as nurturing fathers, not ruthless killers, and that entirely unexplored concept of the aliens having feelings sparks emotion in us, the viewer, which is very difficult in this genre.

I got the feeling whilst watching it that the director had a point to make, and unlike so many films before it, there was an absence of that disheartening feeling that your watching a money making experiment. It is not necessary to be a sci-fi fan to be embroiled into Distict 9, which is the sign of a very clever and enjoyable film.

If you enjoyed this, try The Terminator or Jurassic Park