While many filmmakers use the science fiction genre to provide social commentary about actual world, few do so explicitly like South African director Neil Blomkamp. His 2009 feature debut District 9 deals with issues of racism, intolerance and corporate corruption through plot set in alternative Johannesburg, some twenty or so years after arrival of huge mysterious alien ship which remained "parked" in the sky. While the attempts to salvage technology remained unsuccessful, humanity received its cargo in the form of aparent slaves, crustacean aliens known as "Prawns" who now live in special section of city affected by poverty, crime, violence and everything else that usually affects oppressed minorities. Protagonist, played by Sharlto Copley, is Wikus van der Werve, official of MNU corporation tasked to "relocate" Prawns; his inexperience leads to an incident that would begin to alter his DNA and turn him into Prawn, and thus lead him to seek alliance with Christopjher, alien who secretly tries to restart the ship and save his people from captivity. District 9 is an impressive film because of its realism -manifested not only through excellent CGI, but also very believable ways in which attempts to help the oppressed and do the right the thing mutate into hellish nightmares of war and violence. Blomkamp's film works best in the beginning, when it uses a lot of dark humour and satire, but in the last part descends into cliches and becomes rather ordinary Hollywood action blockbuster.
RATING: 7/10
