District 9

sci-fi

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An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.

"Seemingly helpless extraterrestrials arrive on Earth and are treated like any other vulnerable minority - as if they're subhuman - in this startling mix of sci-fi action and trenchant social drama from producer Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings). By framing events as a mock-documentary set in his native Johannesburg, writer/director Neill Blomkamp makes obvious reference to the shadow of apartheid, but the film never seems preachy. Heading a largely unknown South African cast, Sharlto Copley delivers a remarkable performance as the glib Afrikaaner bureaucrat heading up a brutal alien-relocation operation, who's forced by escalating events into an affecting realisation of the error of his ways. It may give way to (admittedly effective) shoot-'em-up fare in the later stages, but this remains a textbook example of fantasy cinema's ability to tackle thorny moral issues while splattering the screen with gloopy creature effects." - Radio Times Review