District 9 earned overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. On the film review website Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a “Certified Fresh” rating, with 89% of critics giving it a positive review, with the consensus being, “technically brilliant and emotionally wrenching, District 9 has action, imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic”.

Some critics have been ecstatic about the film. Sara Vilkomerson of The New York Observer writes, “District 9 is the most exciting science fiction movie to come along in ages; definitely the most thrilling film of the summer; and quite possibly the best film I’ve seen all year.” Christy Lemire from the Associated Press was impressed by the plot and thematic content, claiming that “District 9 has the aesthetic trappings of science fiction but it’s really more of a character drama, an examination of how a man responds when he’s forced to confront his identity during extraordinary circumstances.” Entertainment Weekly’s Lisa Schwarzbaum described it as “…madly original, cheekily political, and altogether exciting…”