Film Review: Elysium

This film represents a natural evolution of the rough, intense, deeply sociopolitical textures that Neill Bloomkamp previously worked with in District 9.  Many comparisons can be made between D9 and Elysium; they're both particularly ugly films that face certain ugly truths through the thin veil of sci-fi, and they're both set in some of the trashiest slums ever filmed. At the same time, Elysium borrows a lot from the anime Battle Angel; both are stories in which the rich and poor are separated between the Earth and some high-flying city, and the characters fight their way to the top with some help from cybernetics. There are also individual scenes that reminded me of other things: one scene reminded me of Total Recall, the main henchman was like an evil version of Metal Gear's Solid Snake, I couldn't help but to think of the Ghost in the Shell saga and the works of William Gibson with all the high-tech surveillance ops and brain-hacking.

Despite being somewhat unoriginal, Elysium is every bit as awesome and awe-inspiring as I expected. The action hits hard and rough, with frequent fights and shoot-outs, all made even more explosive and incredible with a plethora of futuristic gear. The film can get pretty gruesome, for there are a few exploding bodies and painful-looking injuries, but it's still nowhere near as gnarly as District 9. Some incredible slow-motion shots and gorgeous special effects make the excitement stand out even more. In between the action scenes, the film maintains even pacing with strong conflicts and quality visuals.

As noted above, the story covers pretty standard sci-fi ground. It does employ some interesting concepts though: the actual Elysium space station is a magnificent utopic space habitat (a Stanford Torus design), the likes of which is often envisioned by futurists and sci-fi authors, but has never actually been produced on the big screen for some odd reason. The world of Elysium is visually fantastic and really cool.

The actual plot is solidly-built, with its foundations firmly set in conflict and action. It takes some really interesting twists and turns; the climax is a little predictable, but everything leading up to it is a real roller-coaster ride. Characters aren't particularly deep; the villains are especially one-dimensional. However, the film does its best to humanize the heroes and the poor people they fight for, to best emphasize its key themes. The themes are not all that subtle, and the political stance is not something I personally agree with, but I appreciate the effort and nobility of the film, as it underscores such hot topics as immigration, healthcare, and class warfare.

This film uses pretty rough and gritty photography and editing. The camera does shake around a bit during some scenes, but it didn't agitate me nearly as much as I thought it would: I could see the action perfectly well, and I thought a lot of the camera angles and compositions were cool. Acting is alright: Matt Damon is a pretty generic action hero here, Sharlto Copley (hey, the dude from District 9) is flipping crazy, and Alice Braga offers the most touching performance of the lot. Surprisingly, Jodie Foster is the weakest link, thanks to her butchery of the French accent. Writing is not bad. This picture has really cool and real-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects. Music is pretty good too.

I felt this was a perfectly satisfying and awesome sci-fi adventure, despite a few quibbles. District 9 remains a fresher, more original, and more deeper experience; I think it's because it offered something nobody had really seen before. Elysium, on the other hand, offers something we've all seen before, so it hasn't struck as hard with audiences. Personally, I think I prefer Elysium over D9, for having a more complex plot, more incredible action, and more far-out ideas. Both would make a great double-feature, and I do hope director Neill Bloomkamp continues to pump out similarly raw and uncompromising pictures. If you're a big sci-fi fan like me, Elysium is definitely worth seeing; I'd recommend it as a rental to casual viewers.

5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good)