I thought it was depressing and boring!

Rating: 5/10 (19 February 2015)

I was really indifferent towards this movie when I saw the trailers for it. I wasn't a big fan of District 9, and this movie didn't seem to be up my alley. I still held out hope that having Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in the movie would mean it would be good. Sadly, this was far from the case. I'm picky on futuristic films! They have a habit of making me disinterested. This movie falls under that category in a big way. I had reasonable expectations for it, and it didn't come close to meeting that. This movie is void of tension for the most part despite trying to make you think otherwise. It tries to be a thinking man's action film, but fails miserably. This movie is nowhere near as deep as it wants you to believe. As a matter of fact, it feels something concocted by Hollywood, and that's not a good thing. It felt glossy and phony from start to finish. Elysium tries to be an effective social commentary. We get the "rich get richer and the poor stay poor" storyline. I'm getting really tired of the "The earth is damaged" route that futuristic movies have a tendency to go as well. it was a good idea at first, but now it's overdone. I'll admit that it was impressively bleak, but kinda hollow. Those that love action will be pretty disappointed. I was pretty bored by everything going on, and I can't recall one action scene that stood out. The only thing semi-entertaining was the fight scene in the finale between Copley & Damon. The acting is above average. Matt Damon is good, don't get me wrong. I felt he became boring when he put on all the machinery. Jodie Foster is terrible here. That breaks my heart to say, because I'm a huge fan of hers. Her accent is awful, and she seems very disinterested. I can't say as I blame her, though. Her part is a throwaway one. Sharlto Copley annoyed the crap out of me. His OTT antics grated my nerves on more than one occasion. He yells too much as well. Alice Braga is pretty, but a bland love interest. Rest of the cast are OK.
Poorly developed characters, lack of interest, and pretentiousness really sink this one. This is a really dull experience and I don't understand how this movie has such a respectable rating. I wouldn't call it horrible, but it's a below average film that doesn't offer much.
5.3/10