District 9

This is one weird film.

It's hard to accurately describe District 9 other than to say it's a sci-fi film that you haven't seen before.

That fact is the best thing the film has going for it. Uniqueness is hard to find these days where everything is either a remake or a well trodden idea. You only have to look at the previews. The fact it is 'presented by Peter Jackson' makes absolutely no difference, by the way, it's just a selling point that he found it interesting and gets a producer credit.

District 9 is set in Johannesburg where an alien ship has been perched over the city for 20 years and remains unmoved.

The inhabitants have been relocated into what becomes a ghetto and it is decided to move them out of the city. This is where things go awry.

The unlikely hero of the story is Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) who is leading the alien task force in evicting the aliens from the ghetto.

There are all sorts of commentaries going on here, with racism being high on the agenda, as is the treatment of the poor. The humans refer to the aliens as 'prawns', largely because they kind of look like prawns but also because they are scavengers. They have also developed a taste for cat food.

The trouble comes to a head when Wikus is infected with some alien DNA and becomes the target of government agencies wanting to dissect him for science. Wikus and one of the aliens become unlikely (and quite hilarious) allies in trying to help him recover as he tries to give the aliens their freedom.

What is very cool about District 9 is the hovering mother ship which is in the background in most of the film. It gives the movie an ominous feel.

The movie is also quite gory and has gun fights to rival the latest Rambo film, at least in gratuity.

This is a hard movie to sum up. I'd say if it interests you it's worth a look. It is unlike any film I've seen in a long time, it is part documentary, part slasher film, part war movie, part alien invasion. I give a 6.5 out of 10 and I just hope they don't go thinking about sequels. It would undermine all the reasons this movie stands out.

But it's still really weird.