If you're a fan of games like Halo or World Of Warcraft, District 9 will light your senses.

Directed by Neil Bonklamp and produced by Lord Of The Rings' Peter Jackson, the relatively low-budget, US$30- million ($43-million) sci-fi movie distinguishes itself from the pack with a first person perspective gamers will be familiar with, as dramatic scenes play out one after another with much blood and gore.

But District 9 isn't your average shoot-'em-up alien flick. It features a spaceship and extraterrestrials, but it's also an allegory about segregation. Aliens land on Earth but they're not here to blow up national monuments like they usually do in blockbusters - these guys are refugees.

Tasked with removing the aliens - referred to as "Prawns" due to their appearance - from an African township known as District 9, a mercenary corporation is hired to make the alien warfare work, with no regard for their welfare. When one of the corporation's field operative contracts a mysterious virus that changes his DNA, he becomes the most wanted man in the world.

Bonklamp utilises mockumentary footage and real news clips, adding a dimension of reality to the M18 movie and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. But if you are looking for catharsis, don't rush just yet. Undeveloped characters and loopholes left this reviewer unmoved during the crucial "hero" scene.

Great special effects but perhaps Bonklamp could have taken a cue from Jackson's picaresque movies rather than the "shock and awe" approach of District 9.

District 9 is in cinemas now.