A great director is like a chef, who begins with an inspiration and then creates an irresistible dish by using ingredients and cooking methods that harmonize with and add to each other, so that the sum is far greater than it's parts.

Neill Blomkamp may not yet be a great director. He's certainly a very good one. His acclaim as a promising young filmmaker was such that in 2006 he was offered the chance of a lifetime when he was chosen to helm the movie version of "Halo." When studio infighting between Fox and Universal sank the project, Blomkamp was urged to turn his award winning short film "Alive In Joburg" into a feature.

Blomkamp takes his inspiration from impeccable sources, James Cameron and Ridley Scott, both masters of science fiction. One of his first movie memories is of Scott's seminal sci-fi film Blade Runner, and it's a continuing influence.

Like many dark visionaries, Blomkamp is fascinated by the vision of a dystopian society, and in many interviews he's professed his belief that his hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa, is the closest thing to a "blade runner world" that can be experienced today in real life. It was his intention to marry that current day aspect of Johannesburg to the "what if?" scenario of "District 9."

Like many fantasists, Blomkamp claims no great interest in creating grand metaphors in order to preach grandiose philosophical truths. The irony of "District 9" arises because, due to the influences of his life, the narrative of his film is begging to be interpreted as story and statement, with unavoidable comparisons to recent history - history that is charged with politics and morality.

As "District 9" begins, the earth has been living with a new and initially shocking reality. A race of extraterrestrials has come to earth in an enormous craft that hovers, seemingly permanently, over Johannesburg. From the moment they arrive, nothing proceeds according to human preconceptions of what such an alien visitation would be like. Neither scourge nor savior, this bizarre race of creatures seem to be simply lost and stranded, and their mysterious appearance on Earth soon creates one more refugee camp in a country known for its impoverished ghetto townships.

Although the alien visitation had begun with the hope of a paradigm shift in human society, it soon becomes apparent that South African history is repeating itself as violence, segregation and prejudice defines the daily lives of another group of "South Africans."

The alien immigrants become known as "Prawns," taken fron the name of a particularly nasty looking variety of South African insect. Attempts to find a place for them to live in the midst of human communities simply creates escalating tension. A solution is devised that will collectively relocate the Prawns to a new and more remote reserve.

A military contractor called Multinational United (MNU) is chosen to carry out the operation, with the hidden agenda of being the first to solve the riddle of how to operate the Prawn's weaponry.

When a member of the team sent to evict and relocate the Prawns is doused and contaminated with a biohazardous fluid, the resulting medical emergency leads to a chaotic chain of events that culminate in a prolonged and violent clash between several competing interests.

"District 9" contains some impressive special effects and a lot of unforgettable moments, both exciting and dramatic. It could also be criticized for several creative decisions.

Humor is a great addition to serious filmmaking, but "District 9" veers wildly between faux documentary and "mockumentary," from one act to the next. When a dramatic plot shift involves a character undergoing a genetic mutation, the film's tone bounces from Borat to Brundlefly.

In addition, the choice to use handheld cameras to attempt a documentary style proves to be unsustainable throughout the film.

"Cloverfield" and "Quarantine" are recent examples of the successful use of the "first person POV" technique. "Alive in Joburg" uses the technique as well, and Blomkamp acquired a reputation for talent in the use of the handheld style. The problem in "District 9" is that Blomkamp jettisons the gimick in the second part of the film.

Switching POV is a common mistake among novice writers, changing from first-person to third and back again, but it's seldom an issue in filmmaking. The advances in the quality of handheld cameras makes their use tempting, especially when budget constraints are an issue. The money saved by shooting documentary style obviously went toward creating the impressive special effects.

But, affecting a documentary style in this film was unfortunate, because it required affecting an amateur look from an on-scene cameraman's POV, eliminating the possibility of many scenes and camera angles that could have been far more effective in presenting the narrative.

A final issue with the film is that it's filled with references to South African history and culture that most viewers will not understand or will misinterpret

The basic premise of the film, that of confining a minority to a bleak and destitute shanty town, has been widely and understandibly interpreted as being inspired by the apartheid era townships like Soweto. In fact, the scenario is based on the influx of refugees from war-torn, neighboring Namibia. This changes the analogy from a reference to Whites vs Blacks to one of Indigenous Africans vs Émigré Africans.

Regardless of this film's potential flaws, Neill Blomkamp deserves high praise for being imaginative, ambitious and audacious. "District 9" can be compared to an exotic dish that was prepared by a newly promoted and highly gifted chef who went a little crazy in the kitchen.

In using his fresh and unique short film "Alive in Jo'burg" to create the full-length feature "District 9," he's prepared a dish with left-over prawns that offers some juicy morsels, but it also contains some nuggets that are hard to swallow.

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