District 9 Movie

Alien life forms agitating, human life forms agitating back, secret scientific experiments, ethical dilemmas everywhere you turn -- that is the sweeping intellectual force field of "District 9," a great place to muck around whether you're a sci-fi fan or not. Though you'd never guess given its swagging confidence and inventive style, but this clever thriller is director Neill Blomkamp's first feature. That it is set in South Africa, with much of the action taking place in the poverty and grime of a shantytown just outside Johannesburg, only adds to the rich texture of the film.

Alien life forms agitating, human life forms agitating back, secret scientific experiments, ethical dilemmas everywhere you turn -- that is the sweeping intellectual force field of "District 9," a great place to muck around whether you're a sci-fi fan or not. Though you'd never guess given its swagging confidence and inventive style, but this clever thriller is director Neill Blomkamp's first feature. That it is set in South Africa, with much of the action taking place in the poverty and grime of a shantytown just outside Johannesburg, only adds to the rich texture of the film.

Over the course of its opening weekend in theaters, the sci-fi thriller "District 9" earned $37 million at the box office, surpassing all commercial expectations and, moreover, hauling in $7 million more than the scrappy quasi-documentary cost to produce. As of Tuesday night, the film had pulled in $10 million more, earning a total $47.1 million domestically en route to its new, unofficial designation: the surprise hit of summer. For anyone who follows Hollywood's behind the scenes machinations closely, though, "District 9" isn't just a surprisingly thoughtful sci-fi stand-out in a season characterized by big, dumb studio tent-pole movies; it's a revelation.

Over the course of its opening weekend in theaters, the sci-fi thriller "District 9" earned $37 million at the box office, surpassing all commercial expectations and, moreover, hauling in $7 million more than the scrappy quasi-documentary cost to produce. As of Tuesday night, the film had pulled in $10 million more, earning a total $47.1 million domestically en route to its new, unofficial designation: the surprise hit of summer. For anyone who follows Hollywood's behind the scenes machinations closely, though, "District 9" isn't just a surprisingly thoughtful sci-fi stand-out in a season characterized by big, dumb studio tent-pole movies; it's a revelation.