IF A MASSIVE ALIEN spaceship parked itself in the sky above a city, and the million or so aliens inside turned out to be starving and helpless, what’d happen? And, after 20 years, how would the aliens be treated? That’s the backstory to District 9, the debut feature from South African director Neill Blomkamp – and if you like films that deliver action without treating you like a moron, you’ll not see a better movie this year.
 
The arrival of aliens on Earth has always been a sci-fi movie staple, so it takes a good film to breathe any life into the old clichés. District 9 does more than that. It’s that rarest of things: a big-budget movie that has more going on than just surface noise. In part, this is due to the location. We’re used to seeing London, New York or LA on screen, but the Johannesburg township setting of District 9 offers a new look. From the Afrikaans accents to the dusty red ground of the shanty town, District 9 has its own distinctive feel, not least due to the fact that the aliens are portrayed not as invaders but as refugees.
 
And like a lot of refugees, the aliens are treated as a problem by the humans in the city. Tired of paying for their upkeep and dealing with the increasing crime they’re blamed for, the citizens have handed responsibility for the aliens to a shady multinational, MNU, who intend to move them wholesale to a new camp, away from human contact. It’s pretty clear, however, that the company really just wants to get hold of some alien weapons tech. When MNU send people into District 9, led by the middle-manager Wikus, everything goes tits up, and an unwilling Wikus finds himself seriously out of his depth.
 
There are nods to David Cronenberg, and films such as Independence Day, Alien Nation and Aliens are clearly reference points, but District 9 stands on its own merits – of which there are loads. It looks phenomenal, from the insect-like aliens to the mothership itself; it builds pace and suspense quickly; it has a superb cast; and it sets itself up for a sequel in a way that doesn’t feel like a studio bolt-on to the ending. It also deftly avoids the trap of trying to add too much subtext – this isn’t a preachy ‘aliens as immigrants’ flick. District 9 is entertainment, pure and simple, but you can watch it without feeling that your intelligence is being insulted.
 
You won’t see a smarter, more exciting sci-fi blockbuster this year