Elysium Review
Elysium is the second full length film from South African director Neill Blomkamp, and the follow up to his 2009 directorial debut District 9. Blomkamp follows up his critically acclaimed Sci-Fi with yet another social-political action romp, however Elysium can't quite match the perfection of his previous film.
It is clear from the beginning that this film attempts to stray from the Sci-Fi action formula, instead choosing to focus on back story and character over spectacle. The first hour of the film almost exclusively revolves around character development, a welcome breath of fresh air from the recently stale genre. The character in question is ex-convict Max, a man seeking to travel to the world of Elysium, a man made space station in which the wealthy live a life of luxury while the poor suffer in poverty on Earth. The film gets off to a brilliant start, with a flashback sequence introducing the audience to a young Max as he dreams of travelling to Elysium with his best friend Frey. Flash forward to 2054 and Earth is in tatters, with disease and poverty striking the majority of the population while a robot police force keeps the public in order. From here the plot escalates into a predictable, but well enough thought out, time limited mission to save both Max and the world from the clutches of the powerful elite living on Elysium. Like District 9 there are some strong political and social statements being made underneath the special effects and action, with the director seemingly covering the same apartheid ground as his previous effort. Being of South African descent it is understandable that this is the focus of Blomkamp's films, but a change would have been welcomed, there is only so much to say on certain political and social issues. Needless to say the commentary adds yet more depth to the film, and provides enough intelligence to save the film from medioracy.
The film is technically impressive, Blomkamp had more than 3 times the budget that he had for District 9, and it shows. Elysium itself has a creepy suburban look to it, with white picket fences, bright blue swimming pools and glossy interiors looking suspiciously like the kinds of houses found in LA or Hollywood. Meanwhile on Earth you can practically taste the grit and dirt as desperate civilians wander the dusty streets looking for help, clashing with the sheen of the metallic police force who watch over them. Its atmospheric and immersive, doing what District 9 did brilliantly, creating a living breathing world reflecting the concerns of the real Earth we all know.
On the other hand, there are some things that bring the film down a notch or two, the main one being the second half of the film. While the first hour of Elysium may not bow to the stereotypes associated with the genre, the second half does, unfortunately ruining the film. District 9 managed to pull off being an action packed film with its well written script and character development, Elysium on the other hand seems to forget about these things when the action starts. Its a real shame, because the action scenes aren't particularly bad, but they just lack any sense of emotion that the first half of the film had. The race against a ticking clock plot line is tired and cliche, and didn't manage to add any suspense to the film, leaving it worthless. In this regard the film fails to live up to District 9 and manages to only just save itself from mediocracy by wrapping up the plot nicely in a meaningful way. The other let down in Elysium is Jodie Foster. Her seemingly dubbed British accent is horrendously bad, and her inability to properly lip sync the words detract from her character and ruin her villain status.
Other than these few niggles however, Elysium is a rather fun Sci-Fi popcorn film. As a political commentary it succeeds in introducing some interesting ideas such as the links to the apartheid, but doesn't result in anything more than District 9's similar statements. The focus on character is what saves the film, as well as the satisfactory conclusion. The action scenes, while pretty, are soulless and provide little entertainment other than the obligatory explosions and slow motion stunts. Overall though, this is a solid Sci-Fi, and a cut above the rest.
7/10
Among so many science fiction films that wander, this sparked my curiosity due to its visual aspect. Will see it for sure.
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