3/4
District 9 has at its heart a simple but very clear and effective social commentary. This is what immediately elevates it from a simplistic thriller to something immediately more engaging; we care very quickly about the ‘prawns’ and we immediately dislike the nasty arrogant humans. Of course, the highly dislikeable protagonist also factors in – we really want to see him get whacked as much as we want to see him survive later on. Although the film does deteriorate into a fairly unimpressive all-out action final third in which characters simply run around towards the next plot marker, District 9‘s social heart and clear and direct filmmaking style ensures it’s always very entertaining.
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