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I went and saw District 9 yesterday. Produced by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), it’s based on a short film by Neill Blomkamp (who directed the feature) entitled Alive in Joburg. For those of you who have no idea what it’s about, the film opens documentary-style twenty years after an alien ship comes to a standstill over the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon investigation, alien creatures are discovered and brought down to earth, where they are housed in the titular District 9. Overcrowding and militarization leads to the District becoming a slum, and the film picks up with the campaign to relocate the aliens to a more remote location.

I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d heard it was good; and it was. I’d heard that it was a different kind of sci-fi movie; and it was. And I’d heard that it was pretty intense; and it was. Plus, I kind of got the sense from the barrage of horror movie trailers that preceded the film that there might be a bit of gore; and there was. It worked on a number of levels: as a social commentary on human social interaction, prejudice and apartheid, and as a good, innovative sci-fi movie. An enjoyable, high octane movie.

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