Produced by Sir Peter Jackson of Mordor and directed by talented newcomer Neill Blomkamp, District 9 is a smart, slick sci-fi thriller that tries to hit all the buttons and almost – almost – succeeds. The film concerns the attempts of corrupt corporation MNU’s attempts to evict the stranded aliens – derogatively referred to as “prawns” – from a slum in the centre of town to a concentration camp far away from the dismissive human populace.