District 9 Vs. Plan 9: A Chart Comparing the Best and Worst of Science Fiction

In the last few weeks, you may have seen ominous "For Humans Only" posters adorning bus stops and benches in your city, or "Non-Humans Seen In The Vicinity" signs plastered at your local cineplex. They're all part of the viral marketing campaign for Neill Blomkamp's science-fiction opus District 9, which hits theaters today. And while D-9 is shaping up to be one of the highest-rated flicks of the year, it's worth remembering that this summer marks the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the worst movies (sci-fi or otherwise) ever made: the legendarily awful Plan 9 From Outer Space. The terrible script, slapdash special effects, and uniformly stilted acting has made it a cult classic, not least of all because it was horror-meister Bela Lugosi's final film role.

These two movies are more alike than just having a "9" in their titles. Both use science-fiction to examine the human condition, albeit in different ways and with wildly different results. One examines the pervasive paranoia and us-vs-them mindset of the Cold War, and the other dissects the lingering brutality, xenophobia and tribalism of "modern" human society. And so, for your consideration, we take a no-holds-barred look at how they stack up against each other as sci-fi films. Sure, it's a lopsided battle, but when has genre fiction ever been about fair fights?