Since Neill Blomkamp arrived in the big leagues in 2009, his next movie has been eagerly anticipated since the credits rolled on District 9. And it’s safe to say that Elysium is worth the wait.
Set in 2154, the planet is covered in pollution and is ruled by huge corporations and the cops make Robocop look like choir boys. For the super rich though, life is good. They don’t have to put up with the slums, scumbags and shit piles. Instead, they live on Elysium. A gigantic man made space station where the wealthy live the good life with no crime, no shit piles and beds that can cure anything from broken bones to cancer. Enter Max (Matt Damon) who needs to get to Elysium after he finds himself with only 5 days to live following an industrial accident. Of course Max needs to get himself onto one of those cure all beds to live, but things get complicated when a childhood friend and her sick child turns up and they too need a fancy bed.
Story wise Elysium, while predictable drags a bit in the opening half, but when Damon’s character gets the mech suit on things start really belting along with a number of intense set pieces and fights. Blomkamp shot alot of Elysium from a handheld perspective, and while for some of you that may be an acquired taste, it does genuinely add to the intensity.
Visually, Elysium is rather magnificent, taking plenty of inspiration from District 9. With much of the planet looking like District 9’s distant, dirty cousin. And its this dirt and grittiness that add a superb level of realism. At no time do things get ropey or unconvincing. The ships and robots are brilliant pieces of design and like everything else are completely convincing.Elysium itself, in all of its perfect glory also looks superb, but much to its detriment, the majority of the movie takes place on Earth and you are left wanting to see a bit more of the space station itself. And that’s probably the biggest criticism you can throw at the movie.
The mech suit that Damon wears is something thats quite unique and organic in its design, and implementation is certainly not for those of you who have weak stomachs. While not oozing with gore, theres enough body parts that go splat from time to time, including a rather stomach churning moment involving Copley’s face, to keep everybody happy.
Besides the great visuals and somewhat decent albeit predictable story, Elysium’s strongest point is its cast. Jodie Foster is perfectly cast in her defence minister role and Matt Damon, sporting a shaved head proves yet again that he can pull some serious punches with the big action stars. While at the same time also giving an intense performance while being utterly convincing. Unfortunately for Damon, every time Sharlto Copley is on screen, he blows him away in more ways than one. Copley has an incredible presence in Elysium. Not only is it evil and psychotic, he is incredibly menacing and intimidating. Simply put, this is Copley’s best performance to date, and is worth the price of admission alone.
Combine all this with new comer Ryan Amon’s score, which is really, really good and adds immensely to the overall movie, It’s hard to find fault with it being honest. Its solid throughout, left down only by a story that is a tad predictable at times.
While it falls short of pure brilliance, Elysium is thoroughly enjoyable and definitely worth a watch.
