District 9

District 9 is the most original science fiction action film of the 2000s. Neill Blomkamp’s debut feature uses a documentary style to tell the story of alien refugees confined to slums in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the bureaucrat (Sharlto Copley) who begins transforming into one of them after exposure to alien technology. The apartheid allegory is unmistakable and devastating, and Blomkamp’s decision to set the film in his homeland gives it an authenticity that Hollywood sci-fi cannot replicate.

Copley’s performance is extraordinary. He starts as an oblivious, almost comedic paper-pusher and gradually becomes a desperate, morally complex figure fighting for survival. The action escalates from documentary-realism to full-scale mech warfare in the final act, where Copley pilots an alien battle suit against a private military company. The alien weapons — which cause humans to literally explode — are the most creative armaments in any sci-fi film of the decade.

District 9 earned $211 million on a $30 million budget, was nominated for Best Picture, and proved that original science fiction could compete commercially with sequels and adaptations. It remains Blomkamp’s masterpiece.