Long into the future of the human race, Earth has been utterly torn apart and left in ruins, thanks to a combination of overpopulation, disease, and other contributing factors. The wealthiest faction of human beings have taken to the stars, building a large space station dubbed "Elysium," which is free of poverty, sickness, and conflict. On Earth, an industrial worker with limited time on his hands devises a plan to reach this near-paradise, but those above are not so willing to let just anyone enjoy their way of life...
After I had complained about 2013 unofficially being dubbed the year of "meh," it seems like this irrational statement is slowly being phased out, and the pictures being released by studios are slowly getting better and better. True, we are still in August after all, but that has been eight solid months of varying quality. I regret that it took this long for me to be brought out of this dreadful slump, and I'm just as perplexed that Matt Damon was one of the names who assisted in it. Apologies if that sounded slightly arrogant.
Director Neil Blomkamp is still a relative newcomer to the realm of full-length film, but his previous effort District 9 had nearly every individual on the market talking and in awe, save for a select few who aren't worth mentioning here, as did his work on the shorts that he shot for the release of video game phenomenon Halo 3. The man understands how to keep the audience's attention with a good story and coercive characters, as well as a pseudo-documentary feel at select times, but doesn't skip out on the moments that most mainstream crowds come to see, such as mechanical contraptions & weapons that blow things up rather well. Considering what Neil was able to accomplish with the thirty million dollar budget of his previous effort, I thought he did a splendid job with having nearly four times that film's budget this time around. Having the assistance of Weta Workshop certainly helps as well, with the design on the robots seen throughout Elysium looking remarkable, and a particular scene with one being blown apart in slow-motion gives you an indication that these machines are certainly not as easy to build as one would think. Blomkamp most certainly seems to have a love for cybernetics, with Matt Damon being enhanced after the end of the third act (put away your bats, it isn't a spoiler), and reminding us of the sheer power and potential of future technology.
Elysium is also highlighted by notable performances, some good and some unfortunately mediocre. Don't be surprised if most of the buzz you hear after some time has passed is in relation to Sharlto Copley, who manages to pull a complete 180 from his likable protagonist in District 9, and goes into full on psychopath mode as a sleeper agent who enjoys his job of preventing a potential merging of the two worlds. He isn't a revolutionary villain by any means, but he is damn good, and blows Jodie Foster's Elysian government official out of the water. I regret having to say that Foster was very average, but it didn't seem like she tried to bring anything truly unique to her character, and it felt like a very common evil, upperclass politician. On the side of heroism, Matt Damon is fine, and his character is much easier to relate to than Copley's Wikus in the aforementioned motion picture. Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, and Diego Luna play different friends and associates of Damon's from over the years, and all of their side stories tie in well without seeming forced. That being said, a potential director's cut could help with the feeling that we just didn't see enough of them. I refuse to believe that a running time of 109 minutes was the final decision of everyone involved.
Where District 9 had noticeable parallels with immigration issues we face today, there is also a heavy emphasis on the war between classes and issues with health care, and lack thereof, observed by the crowds in the film and outside of it. Most of the Earth's population is comprised of Latinos and African Americans, while most of the gathering we see on Elysium itself is upper class caucasian males and females. I'm certain that this wasn't a coincidence, but I imagine those bothered by it may be of the more conservative variety, or looking to nitpick for nitpicker's sake. In fact, careful examination shows an eerie similarity to Blomkamp's previous effort in terms of entire structure, resolution, and even the classic "Good and Evil Chart (google it if you have the time). I've heard theories that this could in fact be set in the same universe that housed the Prawns and MNU, but I'm far too lazy to research this at the moment, and may save that bit of banal geekiness for the end of the year. Besides, nearly every director, from Spielberg to Boll, has most likely been accused of copying and pasting in some way, shape, or form.
I'm starting to realize that my personal favorite films released throughout the summer have fallen into the two genres that I've had a love for since childhood: science fiction and horror. Mind you, Elysium is certainly not a horror movie, but it is a well-crafted, well-acted, and overall very interesting entry into the science fiction genre. A viewing in a large theater with an even larger screen is recommended, and I wish nothing but the best for Mr. Blomkamp with future endeavors and projects, as this bearded weirdo will be sure to keep watching and supporting you.
Just don't pull an M. Night Shymalan on us please.
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