District 9

Over the weekend we saw District 9. I loved the premise--aliens who not only arrive on earth, but do not leave; the temporary home provided for them 20 years ago has turned into a slum; they are so weird-looking (and ugly) that it is impossible for them to become integrated. The government official in charge of moving them to a new area does not care much what happens to them until he ingests some alien liquid and starts to turn into an alien himself. Lots of interesting ideas here that are worth pursuing and discussing, but evidently it was too much trouble to come up with a good conclusion and set up for a sequel, because in the last third everyone just grabs a gun and starts shooting. The government official finds some protective armor that makes him look like one of the transformers. The movie is a cross between The Fly, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and The Matrix (another movie with a great premise that only comes to an end when everyone has shot everything else). 6.5 or maybe 7. Enjoy.