This sci-fi movie is an action/horror story with clear social themes of racism. The aliens are clearly discriminated against due to their look. But this is not even a subtext, since it takes place in South Africa.
Even though the politics are the basis for the premise of this story, this is mainly an action movie. The first part is all setup, it is shot as if we were watching a documentary about the arrival of the aliens 20 years ago and their current conditions.
Wikus is at the center of this story, and once he is infected and starts to become an alien, this feels very much like other alien/action movies. There are plenty of explosions and guns, with a robot showing up in the final act. It’s all well made, and it reminded me of Transformers.
But what it does much better than other empty action movies, is character development. Throughout the movie we follow Wikus and go through all the crazy things that happen to him. So by the time he becomes the action hero, we care about him and what happens to him.
Recommended to fans of action movies with good character development.
Rating: 3 Stars