Elysium Review

Rated R (Strong Bloody Violence and Language Throughout)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 49 Minutes

Cast-

Matt Damon-Max de Costa

Alice Braga-Frey Santiago

Jodie Foster-Secretary of Defense Delacourt

Sharlto Copley-Kruger

Wagner Moura-Spider

Diego Luna-Julio

William Fichtner-John Carlyle

Emma Tremblay-Matilda Santiago

Faran Tahir-President Patel

Brandon Auret-Drake

Josh Blacker-Crowe

Jose Pablo Cantillo-Sandro

Adrian Holmes-Manuel

Maxwell Perry Cotton-Young Max de Costa

Valentina Giron-Young Frey Santiago

Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Run, Matt Damon, run!

Note: Screened on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at AMC Empire 25.

Eight years ago, nobody had even heard of Neill Blomkamp but the aspiring South African director was already making waves in the visual effects world with his work on "Stargate SG-1," the short-lived "Dark Angel," and "Smallville." In 2006, Blomkamp released a six-minute short film titled "Alive in Joburg" at the L'Étrange Festival in Paris. Co-produced by his high school friend Sharlto Copley and shot like a documentary, it was a sci-fi parable that explored apartheid through the eyes of extraterrestrial refugees who find themselves marooned in 1990 Johannesburg. However, it wasn't until a year later that Blomkamp's star began to rise when he directed a trilogy of live-action short films to promote the release of Microsoft and Bungie Studio's Xbox 360 game Halo 3. Known collectively as "Halo: Landfall," the shorts acted as test footage for the Peter Jackson-produced "Halo" film adaptation but the project collapsed when Universal and 20th Century Fox withdrew their funding. This proved to be a blessing in disguise because if Blomkamp had made "Halo," we wouldn't have gotten the brilliant "District 9." Released during the 'dog days of summer' in 2009, the film (based on the "Alive in Joburg" short) went on to become a surprise box office success, grossing over $200 million worldwide on a modest production budget of $30 million. Blending sci-fi action with social allegory, "District 9" received near-universal praise (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) and was even nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Four years later, Blomkamp is back with his sophomore effort "Elysium," starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of Blomkamp's directorial debut, "Elysium" remains a thought-provoking picture that's anchored by stunning visuals, gritty action, and a sincere performance from Damon.

At the end of the 21st century, Earth has been wrecked by widespread pollution, plague, and overpopulation, forcing the rich and powerful to flee to a Stanford torus space station dubbed 'Elysium.' On this man-made paradise, advances in medical technology have rendered every disease virtually extinct while those below continue to suffer in slum-like conditions. In 2154, a reformed criminal named Max de Costa (Matt Damon) tries to eke out a living in a ruined Los Angeles, where he works at an Armadyne factory assembling police droids. When he's exposed to a lethal dose of radiation while on the job, Max is given five days to live, forcing him to seek out crime lord Spider (Wagner Moura) for passage to Elysium so that he can heal himself using one of the station's med bays. Spider agrees to help but under one condition: Max must pull off a billion-dollar heist from inside the mind of a corporate executive, specifically Armadyne CEO John Carlyle (William Fichtner). Outfitted with a special exoskeleton to compensate for his weakened state, Max succeeds in his task but gets more than he bargained for when the information inside his head is revealed to have the power to turn every citizen of Earth into a citizen of Elysium. Max finds himself reluctantly thrust into the role of savior as Secretary of Defense Delacourt (Jodie Foster) tries to preserve the status quo by sending her top operative, the sadistic Kruger (Sharlto Copley), to retrieve the stolen data. Caught between them is Max's childhood friend Frey (Alice Braga), who's also desperate to reach Elysium and cure her infirmed daughter.

Given our country's increasing disparity between the rich and the poor, in addition to the current health care and immigration crises, the release of "Elysium" is rather timely. Blomkamp's film opens with two contrasting images. Earth, or more specifically Los Angeles, is now a crumbling urban wasteland consumed by crime and extreme poverty. The very air you breathe is a death sentence and the only legitimate work available is found in service to the Elysium elite. On the other end of the spectrum is the advanced space station Elysium, an artificial Eden where any illness and life-threatening injury you can think of can be cured or fixed with just a quick hop to a high-tech, miracle tanning bed. Compared to "District 9," the themes in "Elysium" lack subtlety and can occasionally come across as heavy-handed and too black-and-white. Notice that Los Angeles is made up of minorities, primarily Latino, while only Caucasians reside on the space station. In one scene that isn't too far removed from our own reality, Spider stages an illegal border crossing as he ferries the sick and dying to Elysium, where they will storm the mansions and use the med-bays to cure whatever ailment they and their children are suffering from. However, only one shuttle (out of three) actually makes it through; the rest are blown out of the sky by Kruger under the orders of Delacourt, a hardline Dick Cheney-type character. The people who managed to step foot onto the station are immediately rounded up for 'deportation' by the station's faceless police droids. While I applaud Blomkamp for being unafraid to ask the hard questions, he ultimately doesn't have anything cogent to say besides the fact that people should be nicer to one another.

Some have accused the film of being 'liberal' or 'socialist' propaganda but applying such knee-jerking and simplistic labels is to miss the point that Blomkamp is trying to make. Although the director is painting with broad strokes, he's not pushing a particular agenda; he's pushing for people to do what is right for their fellow man. Whether they know it or not, the citizens of Elysium are leaving everyone on Earth to die a slow death and by willingly denying them the help they need, it becomes a moral issue. If anything, the message in "Elysium" is social, not political. Still, the obviousness of the film's allegory is a minor fault compared to the awkward structure of Blomkamp's screenplay. Damon's Max de Costa is presented as an Everyman, working class hero but the story clumsily tries to lend his journey an emotional weight by using flashbacks to his orphaned childhood where a nun repeatedly speaks of how 'special' he is and the 'destiny' he will have. It all comes off as too preachy and actually undermines the impact of Max's arc by making it seem like it was all pre-ordained in the first place.

Despite the clunky script, "Elysium" is still a gripping film and a big part of that is the relentless pacing, especially in the latter half when Max is fitted with an exoskeleton suit in a scene that would feel right at home in "RoboCop." The violence is refreshingly uncompromising and the film earns its R-rating in spades. Hell, you even get to see someone's face get blown off by a grenade! Of course, the most impressive aspect is the world-building and the visuals. Science fiction movies has always been about making the viewer believe in the images that they're seeing and Blomkamp creates a grim yet credible vision of the future that's beautifully brought to life by cinematographer Trent Opaloch. What I really admire the most is that even though Blomkamp is working with a budget that's three times higher than "District 9," his use of CG is very judicious and serves as proof that you don't need to tack on 3D in every film. His blend of digital and practical effects is completely seamless and it goes a long way in immersing the audience in this apocalyptic dystopia. As for the action, it's brutal, hard-hitting, and oh so satisfying. Sure, watching Max and Kruger pummel each other in their own exoskeleton suits can come across as cartoonish but by that point, you're so invested in the film that you just don't care that the fate of the world comes down to a fist fight once again.

Barring a few exceptions, the performances are strong across the board. I'm glad that we have Matt Damon in the lead role as opposed to rapper Eminem, who was Blomkamp's original choice to play Max. Damon is one of my favorite actors and his ability to make even the most selfish characters sympathetic while lending them an 'Everyman' quality continues to impress. Alice Braga has a bit of a thankless role as Max's childhood friend but her presence gives the film a human touch, allowing the picture to remain grounded when the action threatens to overwhelm the story. However, it is Sharlto Copley who leaves the most memorable impression. In "District 9," he played a selfish yet ultimately well-meaning character. Here, he is evil incarnate. Kruger only lives to rape and kill and Copley throws himself into the villain's shoes with absolute relish. Strangely, Jodie Foster delivers the most disappointing performance, although it's not entirely her fault as Delacourt is largely reduced to sitting behind a computer screen and barking orders. Foster shares only one scene with Damon and adopts this off-putting accent that's a mixture of American, British, and French. Given the actress' pedigree, I expected a little more from her.

Released on August 9, 2013, "Elysium" has received mildly positive reviews with 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that it was a 'bit of a comedown for director Neill Blomkamp, but on its own terms, [the film] delivers just often enough to satisfy.' Despite having three other wide releases vying for box office dominance, Blomkamp's film should easily land in number one with around $30 million. Whether it will have the same legs as "District 9" remains to be seen. As the last $100 million blockbuster of the summer, "Elysium" certainly isn't the best but it is the most thought-provoking in terms of concept and execution. While the film oversells its themes, this is still an entertaining, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that proves Blomkamp is no fluke when it comes to smart sci-fi.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

"Whoever has this has the power to override their whole system…you can save everyone."