District 9 Is 'Magnificent Trash'

The aliens are despised outsiders stranded in post-apartheid South Africa in District 9, a film whose mix of social commentary and blood-spattered B-movie standards makes it the sci-fi movie of the year, say critics.

• Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: The movie is "a scathing social satire hidden inside a terrific action thriller teeming with gross aliens and regrettable inter-species conflict. And it's a blast." 

• Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle: Producer Peter Jackson's protegé Neill Blomkamp has made "the most original and entertaining sci-fi film in ages."
• Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Socked in with the whiplash action and over-the-top gore is a story that's shockingly funny, clever, and emotionally resonant. District 9 is that rarest kind of film, magnificent trash."

(More Neill Blomkamp stories.)