District 9 is an interesting movie without a single boring lapse.
Aliens have arrived on earth 20 years ago, but they are not the paragons of intelligence one might have expected, despite their advanced craft hovering over Johanessburg, South Africa. In fact, they have to be rescued from their crippled spaceship. It is assumed that the alien leaders died of disease, and what remains are merely dull-minded worker-bee types. This leads to their internment in what becomes a ghetto, District 9, where they have resided for 20 years.
The "prawns", as they are called, are universally disliked because their culture has no concept of private property, and they are a great bother to the locals. However, they are tolerated by the powers that be for their research value in the use of their advanced weaponry, much of which was confiscated and studied, to no avail. The weapons were constructed to operate only in alien hands, based on DNA, so humans (or any other species) cannot fire them.
Enter the MNU (Multi-national United) and Wikus van der Merwe, an officious middle manager, nepostically promoted to handle the resettlement of 1.8 million "prawns" to tent camp, District 10. He is happy to call in the flame thrower against illegal alien-eggs ("they pop like popcorn"), but a bit squimish about out-and-out murder of adult aliens. The "notification of eviction" sequence is a fascinating part of the movie. However, Wikus's incompetent handling of an unknown alien device sets into motion a series of events that completely change his life, to say the least.
South African apartheid obviously comes to mind while watching this film, but this only enhances the background, in that less exposition is needed to set the tone. The actors are fine, and particularly Sharlto Copley who plays the lead role of Wikus.
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