District 9

Science Fiction is a genre that is much loved, but one that doesn't really see a great deal of innovation or originality nowadays; studios tend to think throwing a massive budget at a music video director will recapture the brilliance of Blade Runner, or Star Wars. Moon director Duncan Jones recently proved that you don't need enough money to buy a small country to make stirring cinema with scope; but Neill Blomkamp has bettered that, with a production that feels fresh, intelligent, intriguing and exciting, along with action that is organic to the storyline. Yep, you don't need to switch your brain off to have a blast watching this one; strangely, it actually helps if you pay attention.

Twenty years ago an alien spacecraft came to earth, parking its arse over Johannesburg for three months, before the local authorities succumbed to international pressure and entered the craft. There they found extra terrestrial creatures severely malnourished, and in need of immediate care. Setting up a temporary camp directly beneath the ship to aid the sick, the creatures soon expand into the millions, and the temporary home becomes their permanent residence. When private company, Multi-National United (MNU), takes over the running of the camp, and attempts to move its inhabitants to a new area outside of the city, one of its supervisors is infected with virus that appears to be changing him into one of the so-called Prawns.

Obviously littered with subtext about apartheid in South Africa, Blomkamp's film still doesn't take itself too seriously, and knows when to have fun. Sharlto Copley is excellent as the hugely put-upon MNU employee, who is more ignorant than racist, until he realises what it's like to be segregated from society and those he loves. His performance is subtly layered, as he manages a few laughs amidst the exploding heads and refined metaphors. He may be the only one whose character is really given enough time to feel real despite the documentary feel to proceedings, but he impresses hugely in his first major role.

Making a smart film that will also still somehow appeal to those paying to see it purely for the action/spectacle is no mean feat, but Blomkamp has managed it. It starts off as a quasi-documentary, with shaky cameras and main characters speaking directly to the screen, but then seamlessly eases into more traditional narrative and becomes utterly engrossing. Some of the aliens themselves (or Prawns) actually manage to evoke sympathy, while the conclusion in particular is simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful.

Marking the arrival of two impressive talents in Blomkamp and Copley, District 9 is one the most original and engrossing films of the year. Action packed, but intelligent and character driven cinema