Neil Blomkamp's District 9 challenged ideas of social class, our rapidly technologically-advancing world and overpopulation through the science-fiction concept of aliens being confined to concentration camps after coming to Earth. Elysium attempts to present the same issues and preach a similar message but doesn't quite succeed, ending up with a film bogged down by action sequences, tough guys and robots.
Matt Damon plays Max, an orphaned ex-criminal fixated on someday making his way off of Earth and living on Elysium, a lavish habitat created by the world's wealthiest ex-inhabitants. When his life expectancy is abruptly cut short, Max will do anything it takes to get up to the paradise he dreams it is, whilst attempting to save the rest of mankind in the process.
After watching Elysium, you can't help but think if it hadn't been so hyped up, perhaps it wouldn't have disappointed so much. It was one of the most-anticipated summer blockbusters, with trailers and posters being released months before it's advance but you wonder why when walking out of the cinema. If taken on face-value, it's a passable action movie as it's certainly got the perfect recipe for one; space, muscles, guns and gore but whilst it's so evidently trying to do something slightly different, quite simply, it fails.
Films that focus on our negatively-portrayed future have been done time and time again. Heck! Even Disney had a stab at it with Wall-E! So this film would have had to have done something really unexpected to amaze audiences but unfortunately, it was predictable rather than amazing.
Despite the two golden men sitting in her cupboard, double Academy-Award winner Jodie Foster couldn't save the film, seemingly struggling with this role. There seemed to be quite of emphasis surrounding her character, which was a role that ended up being no more than a glorified cameo with a designer watch and a dodgy French accent.
Admittedly, whilst it does make it feel more "real", the shaky hand-cams often make the scenes quite difficult to follow as everything just appears to be a blur of metal. Most of the film is bearable, but when it comes to the fight sequences, it looks like something reminiscent of Cloverfield.
Despite the film's [forgivable] negatives, it is fair to say Matt Damon's performance was certainly the best thing about this movie. For an actor who seems to be scrutinised for not faring well in his films, his performance outshone any of those acting alongside him. He brings a realism to his part that can't have been easy in not only a futuristic setting but what is essentially, a robot-suit. Most of the characters don't have any time to be fleshed out in this film - there is an awful lot of content for a movie that lasts less than 2 hours long - Max included so the fact that he can produce any kind of empathy from the audience is commendable.
Whilst a lot of this review is scathing in it's response to Elysium, it is by far a terrible movie. It's parallels between our current global situation and a fictionalised future existence are poignant even if they're not completely original. It's impressive in it's scale and ambition and stylistically, it is brilliant, it just can't help but fall a little flat particularly towards it's hurried end.
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