District 9 (2009) (Neill Blomkamp) 8/10

District 9 has a well-drawn story, which despite my fears, does not lose its way at the end. As ever in Sci Fi, there are some plot holes, but I will not bore my reader with these.

It features as its protagonist a yokel South African everyman, played by rookie film actor Sharlto Copley, who has a rollercoaster story arc. At first I thought him comical, but I grew to root for him very much.

Despite its themes of race and tolerance, its South African setting, and its name, which points us to District 6, District 9 tells us nothing new about Apartheid. To my mind, its allegorical subjects – if specific political interests are even intended – are immigration and refugees.

District 9 made me think of many other films – ET, The Fly, Men in Black, Enemy Mine, Starship Troopers. Nonetheless it is fresh, and best of all unashamedly South African, which is rare in these days when American actors are made to play every nationality.