2013: The Year in Film: "Elysium" Review

Guys, I'm officially the worst at reviewing movies now. I've officially got a four-movie backlog going on and am a solid 3 flicks behind, but I'm going to buckle down and make this happen. Bear with me here. South African writer/director Neill Blomkamp hit the scene in a huge way with his 2009 debut, the apartheid allegory and xenophobia/immigration cautionary tale District 9. The distinct look and feel of District 9 with its gritty, industrial technology, secretive and dangerous government and compelling story, along with the allegory, established Blomkamp as a name to watch, not just in sci fi, but in film. District 9 was an independent film with an indie budget that managed to achieve the feel of a much bigger studio film with a cast of unknowns. That's a testament to the talents of the people involved. (And make a healthy profit to boot) Let's see how Elysium stacks up.

It's the year 2154 and the discrepancy between "have" and "have-not" has become even more pronounced. The great mass of humanity lives on a poisoned, polluted earth, which has been destroyed by overpopulation, pollution and exploitation. The privileged few live on a space station, the titular "Elysium", where all diseases have been cured and the inhabitants accrue vast wealth while living in abject comfort. This situation obviously leads to some tension, and the powers that be on Elysium are all-consumed with keeping the mass of humanity away from their orbital paradise.

The Good: if there's an actor who's better at playing the "everyman" than Matt Damon, I don't know who it might be. He's the heart and soul of this flick, and your affection for his character will keep you interested through some of the flick's sillier and more nonsensical stretches. Much like District 9, Blomkamp's gritty, dirty, industrial view of science fiction gives the film a unique feel that's simply a lot different from most of the visions of the future we're given in contemporary sci fi. Blomkamp also shows his chops as a filmmaker and visual artist, as the action sequences and special effects are terrifically done, and really help this flick stand apart. As far as the plot goes, we're given a moderately believable dystopian view of the future, one that gibes with immigration and class divide headlines we read daily today.



The bad: other than Damon's character, no other character feels richly drawn enough to really keep your interest. In addition, there are some rather serious logical flaws and I have some issues with the vision of the future. (apparently, people will no longer have cell phones or mobile technology in 2154, but will return to pagers and still drive GM cars) The topical, allegorical plot feels much more forced this time around, and the view of geopolitical reality seems overly simplistic. Generally, the world doesn't feel all that richly drawn or believable this time around. If that seems unduly harsh, it's simply because Blomkamp's proven himself to be so good with District 9, that he deserves a higher standard than your typical sci-fi action fare.

In all, this is a watchable, and generally enjoyable flick, albeit one that fails to live up to the promise of the talent involved. There are some serious logical flaws, a world that feels underdeveloped and a general lack of interesting characters. If it wasn't for Damon's unquestioned star power, this one would have been much worse. Also, can someone tell me what accent Jodi Foster is supposed to have? It's obnoxious.

6.5/10. A great core performance and some outstanding visuals help this one rise to slightly above-average status.