About The Movie
Elysium transports us into the year
2154, where Earth has become a Third World ghetto planet where the poor and
downtrodden reside, while the wealthy elite have moved off-planet into the
pristine and technologically advanced orbital community known as “Elysium.”
Enter Max de Costa (Matt Damon), an ex-felon working a dead-end blue collar
job. One day, while on said job, Max is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation,
leaving with just five days and a lot of desperation to make it to Elysium
where a cure awaits.
In order to make his journey, Max is
recruited by a local gang, who outfit him with an exoskeleton capable of helping
him break into the most secure place in the universe. However, Max’s scheme
snowballs into a larger plot, and when Elysium’s Secretary of Defense,
Delacourt (Jodie Foster), gets wind of the plan, she activates her secret
police force to bring down the perpetrators – a pack of wolves led by the
ruthless and cunning Agent Kruger (Sharlto Copley). Before long, Max is in over
his head, with Kruger on his tail and a mission that quickly changes focus when
an old friend (Alice Braga) asks for Max’s help in saving her dying daughter.
What Is Good/Bad About The Movie:
It’s impossible to watch Elysium and
not think about District 9. And I was surprised to find out that they were both
directed by the same person. Elysium, like the best examples of sci-fi, has
something to say about the status of our current world, but in trying to fully
create the metaphor the movie’s reach exceeds its grasp.
Elysium is a beautiful sci fi movie.
With the exception of the healing machines, the depicted technology
advancements seem completely plausible. The settings are amazingly well done, a
lot of the details are very cool (i.e. the parole officer), and the action is
great...though there's too much "shaky cam" during the chase and
fight sequences.
Despite fantastic visuals, Elysium
never drew me into the characters. Though Matt Damon gives a great performance,
the setup for his actions of self preservation don't add up to a compelling
reason to advance the movie. The plot never made me a believer in what was
going on. The integrity of Elysium's story is even more suspect when
contemplating the movie in retrospect.
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