This movie takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hovering above the city is a huge alien spaceship. The image reminds me of the cover art for Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End. This film reminds me of that story, and others of it’s era. Many films use a science fiction setting as an excuse to use the latest whiz-bang special effects. This film uses plenty of special effects, but it’s roots go back to stories like Childhood’s End where the science fiction setting was used to tell a deeper story about our own humanity, or lack of humanity.
While District 9 has a more compelling story than most action flicks, the story isn’t perfect. There are some serious holes in the plot, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a little while you’ll find a nice bit of summer escapism.
Unfortunately, the ending is effectively just a setup for a possible sequel (District 10?) and not very satisfying. Despite the weak ending, District 9 kept me entertained and is definitely worth the price of admission.