Big on special effects. Short on originality, script

Rating: 4/10 (7 November 2013)

If you're looking for originality, something that is intellectually stimulating, this isn't the movie to watch.
The special effects are very good. While having a sci-fi edge, the Earth scenes are gritty and dark. The space station (Elysium) is therefore contrasted in a pristine state of cleanliness and beauty, making the difference between the elites and the commoners all the more stark.
The "heavy" in the movie- a character named Kruger- is a tough, nasty sort. Unfortunately, his accent is so harsh that half of what he said, I simply couldn't understand.
The ships, the fight scenes, the guns and frankly most every other piece of hardware looks like it was taken from other sets, and combined to look marginally different: the ships from the Battlestar Galactica (remake) series + Aliens, the drones from "They Live," the robots a combination of the Terminator + Robocop + Boba Fett (Star Wars).
The script is rather banal. Imagine a combination of the terrible Johnny Mnemonic and Robocop. Yeah, it's that bad. There are lots of action scenes, but with such a silly plot, there's not much the actors can do to help the film. Nothing to entice interest, unless you're looking for another shoot-em-up. And that, ultimately, is what this really ends up being.
The only bright spot is that Jody Foster *smashes* this role. She plays the evil politician- Secretary of State Delacourt- clearly modeled from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. From the blonde page-boy haircut, the makeup which subdues all features but the pursed lips and piercing and beady blue eyes, the clenched jaw and seemingly constant scowl, she is what Hillary Clinton would look like, if Hillary had the lap-band. On the one hand, you can't help but see that this is clearly modeled after Hillary Clinton, and yet you also see Foster take it to a completely new level of viciousness.
Overall, I give it four stars. The cast- while hobbled by a terrible plot and script- worked it to be at least good for "mental chewing gum." But if you're looking for something that gets the mental juices flowing, this isn't it.