A massive extraterrestrial ‘mother ship’ is stranded hovering above Johannesburg, South Africa for two decades – following the seizure and segregation of its alien inhabitants in a concentration camp now known as District 9. There, the skittish scavengers live in filth and ruin - despised and denigrated by the human populace. Their overpopulation in the squalid slums leads the government to contract the Multi National United organization in relocating the “prawns” to a new containment area. When one of MNU’s top men is exposed to a mysterious black liquid, the entire operation takes a nasty turn.
 |
| Prawn - served and witnessed. |
The unknown cast does credible work, particularly newcomer Sharlto Copley as the lead MNU ambassador. The considerably low budget doesn’t show onscreen – the CGI aliens are very impressive and memorable. Their garbled, yet colorful language is captioned, but their brilliant body motion speaks to the viewer just as plainly. As the story transforms them from vile monsters to sympathetic outcasts, it achieves a moral inherent to any great work of science fiction. For every answer Blomkamp gives concerning the origin and intent of the aliens, another question is raised, giving the viewer just enough to make up their own mind about filling in the blanks. The South African setting can easily be read as an editorial on apartheid and social unrest, but cannot weigh down this intelligent but thrilling piece of modern movie escapism.