DISTRICT 9  * * * *
Cert 15, 112 mins
Last year we had Cloverfield, a triumph of viral marketing. The teaser trailers got our attention and built up expectations which were sadly dashed when an underwhelming film about an invading monster finally appeared.

There’s a similar buzz being built for District 9, another sci-fi movie. You might have seen the posters on phone boxes and bus stops, proclaiming them to be for humans only.

Fortunately the film, directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson, doesn’t disappoint.

It starts off brilliantly, conjuring up a world in the not-so-distant future, 20 years after an alien spaceship came to an abrupt halt over Johannesburg. This is the first piece of originality, that it’s set in South Africa and not the United States where we know aliens usually land.

Humans cut their way into the ship and found a million passengers on the brink of death. They were brought down to earth and herded into a fenced-off area, District 9, which became a slum.

As the characters talk about the aliens – “they’re spending so much money keeping them here” – the parallels with immigrants are obvious.

Tensions rise, residents riot to get the aliens out and the creatures, insultingly called ‘prawns’, fight back.

Responsibility for the aliens has been farmed out, not to the police, but to a private corporation of arms manufacturers, who are interested in the aliens’ biologically-engineered weapons.

Inept, bigoted pencil pusher Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is put in charge of the relocation of District 9 because he’s married to the boss’s daughter.

As he serves the aliens with eviction notices, he stumbles across a scientific experiment being carried out by one of the more intelligent prawns. He’s exposed to some black fluid which slowly begins to turn him into an alien – and seems to give him a backbone.

He suddenly becomes highly valuable to the corporation who want to experiment on him.

His story is presented as if it’s a documentary made after the event, a mix of interviews with witnesses, CCTV and news bulletins. Plus some footage filmed, it would appear, by someone who just happened to be there are the time, though it’s not explained how.

There are lots of amusing satirical touches, like Nigerians selling aliens their favourite cat food at exorbitant prices. Swearing with a South African accent is unintentionally comical.

It’s strange that the aliens and humans can understand each other yet neither attempts to speak the other’s language. When they talk, we get subtitles.

As the film progresses, there is more to dislike about it as it fails to sustain a clever idea.

Even given the sci-fi nature of the story, some of the plot turns seem highly unlikely. The action scenes towards the end are messy and incoherent, with shaky camera footage and choppy edits.

But still, even with the film’s problems, District 9 is a brave attempt by first-time director Blomkamp and well worth a look.

500 DAYS OF SUMMER * * * *
Cert 12A, 95 mins
This certainly fulfils the brief of being a romcom, as it’s both romantic and funny. But don’t assume it’s your average predictable fare. As the narrator tells us: “This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.”

It is, sort of, but one that defies our expectations and springs surprises.

The quirky narrative sees us flitting backwards and forwards throughout the 500 days of the relationship between Tom and Summer.

We know early on that by day 300, he is going to be completely miserable because she dumps him. But the big question is, will they end up together?

We follow their affair from the point of view of greetings card writer Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who falls for his colleague Summer (Zooey Deschanel) as soon as she starts work in his office.

They bond over their mutual admiration of The Smiths, but she warns she’s not looking for a serious relationship, telling him: “There’s no such thing as love, it’s fantasy.”

Tom is so likable that we want her to fall for him, though we realise that might not happen as we witness their increasingly-fraught trips around Ikea.

It is full of laugh-out-loud lines and clever scenes, like drunken karaoke and the “morning after sex” fantasy sequence when he dances through Central Park and imagines Han Solo talking to him. In real life, he takes dating advice from his baby sister.

It makes a refreshing change to have a romcom about a woman who’s afraid of commitment. Usually that would be the man, while the clingy girl sighs over her unrequited love.

This film is a reminder that men can be the victims too, as they also have hearts which can be broken, something Hollywood tends to forget.

With Gordon-Levitt’s charisma, we really care about him. And this is the first role in a long time in which Deschanel’s been able to show off her acting skills.

It’s not completely without its faults – the ending may leave some people asking questions about unexplained actions, and you won’t like it if you prefer your stories to be told in strict chronological order.

But it’s witty, well-observed and original, cleverly made with some insightful things to say about relationships. In fact, a fabulous film which both sexes will enjoy.