Elysium (2013)

• Year: 2013
• Released: 09 Aug 2013
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 1 win & 10 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535108/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Elysium
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/elysium
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, Spanish, French, Afrikaans, Ukrainian
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
• Runtime: 109 min
• Writer: Neill Blomkamp
• Director: Neill Blomkamp
• Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley
• Keywords: dystopia, future, space station, class conflict,

	6.6/10
	61/100
	45% – Audience

Elysium Storyline

In the future Earth is over populated and so polluted that the wealthy and powerful create a new place to live. It’s called Elysium and it’s just within Earth’s orbit. and they have all sorts of conveniences among them is a machine can heal anyone. So people on Earth who want to use it try to get there. But the Secretary of Defense Delacourt uses unsanctioned operatives like a man named Kruger to keep them off Elysium. Her latest attempt to keep people off Alysium catches the ire of the President who tells her to tone down her attitude and to stop using men like Kruger. Delacourt then approaches Carlyle, the head of Armadyne Corp, the company that built Elysium and all of what they use up there and asks him to make a program that would allow her to remove the President and put someone else in his position. He agrees to do it. On Earth, Max a man who has dreamed of going to Elysium and taking Frey, a girl he grew up with there. Max works for Armadyne and while at work Max is exposed to radiation and has days to live and needs to go to Elysium to use the machine. So he approaches Spider the man who gets people to Elysium for a price. But since Max can’t pay him, he makes Max a proposition, he will get him there if Max gets some information out of the head of Armadyne’s head. Max agrees and is fitted with an exo-skeleton to help him. They intercept Carlyle as he was leaving for Elysium to deliver the program to Delacout and get the information out of him. Delacourt would send Kruger to save Carlyle but is killed in the crossfire. Delacourt tells Kruger to get Max because he has the program in his head. And Kruger decides to get Max through Frey. When Spider sees the program he tells Max this could change the whole system but Max wants to help Frey first.

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Elysium Movie Reviews

Competent film with unexploited potential, but satisfying nonetheless

I tend to be curious every time a talented filmmaker gets to direct a film set in a pessimistic future/post-apocalyptic era : visually, it’s the perfect setting for desolated landscapes and amazing images of urban chaos ; story-wise, it’s the perfect occasion to insert social commentary and establish more or less subtle metaphors about our current way of life, our current values, and extend in a fictitious way many assumptions that we have regarding the fate of mankind and our very own planet.

In my opinion, it has to be one of science-fiction’s most important sub-genres, since it leaves so much room to contemporary concerns (the environment, pollution, wars, immigration, etc.). Films like “Children of Men”, “Looper”, and “The Road” have greatly contributed to this sub-genre which, in reality, is not really new, but is constantly being redefined and given different treatments : “Children of Men” was an ode to life, “Looper” felt a lot like a modern-day western, “The Road” was a classic tale of a father-and-son relationship, and now, “Elysium”, a thriller/action film/social commentary about disparity between the rich and the poor. Neill Blomkamp burst out of the scene in 2009 with “District 9”, a very similar project in several regards, and blew audiences away with a clever mix of documentary-style filmmaking, explosive action, and the refreshing implement of an obvious social commentary.

“Elysium” starts off brilliantly, showcasing two opposite environments: the old Earth, which has turned into a huge ghetto where people live like cattle, and Elysium, a high-end space station where all the wealthy people from Earth have moved to establish their home. We are then introduced to our protagonist, Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), whose quest is quickly defined after being exposed to deadly radiation : With five days left to live, Max will ally up with a group of illegal immigrants to get to Elysium so he can get the proper medical attention he needs. But Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster), an evil government executive in charge of defending Elysium, will stand in his way, by hiring Kruger (Sharlto Copley), a psychopathic mercenary in charge of neutralizing all illegal immigrants.

The first third of “Elysium” is both fascinating and stressful : You are being introduced to the over-populated Earth, its hospitals, its industrial plants, its streets. These images are very reminiscent of the Johannesburg ghettos depicted in “District 9”. And then, you get to see glimpses of the wonderful Elysium, a visual tour-de-force that ends up being shamefully underused in the film. The first moments Max is shown after being exposed to radiation, the film jumps into a nerve-racking tone, and it is very effective, as it is blended with several dramatic elements that range from innovative to pretty common.

Unfortunately, the pace slows down in the second third, where Max’s story gets sidelined a bit, to the profit of a few sub-plots that involve an unpredictable, yet not so major twist in terms of impact on the story, as well as a sub-story involving the daughter of an old friend of Max. And while the twist is a welcome addition, the sub-story comes a little out of nowhere and comes off as a bit of a cliché. It seemed like Blomkamp was trying to preserve this family theme that was dear to him in “District 9”, and that served the story so well in his previous film. Its unusual aspect prevented it from being too clichéd (an alien dad and his alien son), which is unfortunately not the case in “Elysium”. It does not ruin the film, but it does steal its share of precious screen time in a film that feels a tad too short, and leads it towards more conventional developments.

Then the pace picks up again, with a third act that consists mostly of a bunch of pretty awesome action/fighting sequences, where the feeling of urgency from the original quest has pretty much left the building. In terms of writing, this is conventional stuff, but the technical expertise behind the visuals and the sound is a thing of beauty. Also, the dramatic elements displayed in the first third are briefly brought back to seal the deal, and do provide a satisfying feeling of closure to the story.

Overall, this is quality entertainment with impressive visuals, and a world of ideas that had infinite potential. And while “Elysium” exploited only a fraction of its potential, what it did exploit it did it successfully. Directing, photography, music, and performances are all superb. With a decent yet a bit unoriginal social commentary in the background that does get shelved in the second half to the profit of rock-solid action sequences, the strengths of “Elysium”, taken individually, do feel a bit scattered, but make for an overall very competent package.

The Ferris Wheel Paradise in Space

Elysium has to be one of the most populist oriented science fiction films I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t mean it isn’t good, in fact has a message of equality that should resonate for today’s audience.

Elysium is a giant wheel in space with artificial atmosphere where folks live on the inner ring in really luxurious style. They’ve even got all the latest advances in modern science with a machine that can cure just about anything. For that if nothing else the people living there want to keep it to themselves.

Meanwhile back on Earth the planet has just become one big polluted mass where everyone just scratches out a living the best they can. It’s patrolled by robot police who keep the great mass in line. Everyone yearns to go to Elysium and live the good life. But there are no Horatio Alger stories any more. The haves, the 2% that live on Elysium want to keep it for themselves and are ruthless in keeping the other 98% in line.

What’s brought things to the sorry state they’re in is unbridled capitalism. That’s the message of Elysium.

The one man who’s going to change it is Matt Damon who gets an accidental overdose of radiation poisoning on his industrial job. Now he wants to get to Elysium and steal some of that rationed healthcare. In the end though he serves far more than himself.

That part of the film reminded me so much of the famous noir film DOA where Edmond O’Brien is given a slow acting poison. As for the ending that’s from another classic science fiction film The Omega Man with Charlton Heston. See if you don’t recognize the plot elements.

One of the causes near and dear to Matt Damon’s heart is our environment. Both in this film and in his most recent previous film Promised Land, Damon used the power of his celebrity to voice these concerns without sacrificing an iota of entertainment.

His adversary for most of the film is Jodie Foster who plays the head of Homeland Security on Elysium. She’s got an agenda of her own as she protects the Homeland Security for the haves on Elysium.

Elysium also makes some strong political statements about the USA as a kind of earthly Elysium which at one time was built on the strength of immigrants which now some want to keep out at any price.

I did enjoy this film very much, it’s one of the best so far I’ve seen this year.

Another superlative slice of sci-fi action

When South African director Neill Blomkamp’s DISTRICT 9 came out, it blew me away. Never before had I seen an inventive and intricate storyline mixed with mind-blowingly realistic special effects work and some hard-hitting and heavyweight action scenes. It’s still one of my favourite movies of all time, so I was understandably excited by the prospect of this follow-up.

And ELYSIUM doesn’t disappoint. It’s a straightforward action thriller in which both good guys and bad are clearly delineated; it lacks the novelty and scope of Blomkamp’s previous movie but it more than makes up for that with its full-blooded action and overriding sense of energy. Once again, the sci-fi special effects are remarkable – this is CGI as it should be employed, as it’s completely realistic and never lacking.

Matt Damon can handle the action stuff readily enough – anyone who’s seen the Bourne trilogy can tell you that – and Blomkamp assembles a stellar supporting cast to back him up. William Fichtner is a delightfully weaselly bad guy and Jodie Foster an effective political foe, but it’s Sharlto Copley who really shines as the OTT main villain, Kruger. It’s a complete turnaround from his quiet, mild-mannered turn in DISTRICT 9, and both he and the viewer have a ball with it.

ELYSIUM builds up a real sense of excitement and palpable tension as the story progresses, and the script never lets you down either; once again, there’s plenty of subtext to enjoy. This film could well be thought of as an advert for ‘Obamacare’. The action sequences employ shaky-cam to good effect, and it’s nice to see that Blomkamp hasn’t toned the bloody violence down either. No, it’s no DISTRICT 9, but it comes close and is one of the best sci-fi movies of recent years.