When Neil Blomkamp exploded into the movie theatre with District 9, there was a hefty amount of anticipation for what his next project would be. Matt Damon was quoted as more or less saying that Blomkamp moved to the top of his list of directors to work with. It would only be four years later until this became reality. Damon and Blomkamp teamed up for futuristic action/drama Elysium and as usual, people had their thoughts. Some were impressed, a few were underwhelmed when comparing it with District 9, and many just didn’t quite understand the film.
Elysium is not in the same universe as District 9 but they’re similar in theme as Blomkamp decided to set things in a dystopian society.
It’s the year 2154 and the earth’s environment is failing, its natural resources drying up fast, and the economy is tanking by the second with more people in poverty than ever before. Meanwhile, the super-rich have escaped to an advanced space station colony known as Elysium. There they have access to clean air, next level health care, and security. When ex-convict Max is the victim of an accident at work he soon finds himself at a crossroads that could be lethal. Now without choice, he makes it his mission to get to Elysium at any cost before it’s too late.
Here’s what worked. The photography is epic, Blomkamp continuing to set trends with how his movies are shot and edited. The world of Elysium looks so real and the concept behind its existence is a close parallel to places like the United States that can sometimes seem out of reach for the less fortunate. Matt Damon does a fine job performing but with respect to him, the film is far from being a character driven narrative. It’s far more about the notion of inequality and the desperation people can experience when searching for a better life. Sharlto Copley also succeeded in his role as ‘Kruger’. Here’s what didn’t work quite as well. Sadly, Jodie Foster is a better actress than her outing in Elysium turned out to be (this isn’t meant to be a personal attack). Her line delivery and acting choices weren’t necessarily a detriment to the movie but it certainly didn’t help either. The last point to be confronted is how the film ends. Clever as the analogy the movie is depicting may be, the eventual resolution that’s reached in the story isn’t exactly a practical one and it definitely shows.
Disregarding any nit-picking, Elysium is an otherwise watchable movie. The action scenes are entertaining and Blomkamp’s overall vision is a cinematic sight to behold onscreen. No filmmaker gets everything right all the time, and though District 9 would be a tough act for anyone to follow, Elysium qualifies as ‘good’ if such a thing can be measured. It is possible that Neil Blomkamp has hit his ceiling as a writer/director but there’s no denying his creative mind or his skillset, and Elysium serves as sufficient proof of that.
