Another Max saves the world, hooray! I liked it, yes!

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2013)

Max (Matt Damon) was an orphan as a child, growing up in a ruined City of Angels. Despite his tendencies to get into trouble, he did have a pal, a girl named Frey (Alice Braga as an adult). Now, its 2154, and after a life of petty crime, Max has gone straight, working in a factory that makes robots. Those with money and power have left the planet entirely and live in an elaborate space station called Elysium. Not only do these folks have clean air to breathe and wonderful habitations, they also have machines to cure all illnesses, in every residence. Also, as can be expected, they shoot down any rickety shuttles that try to land on Elysium. The person in charge, Secretary of Defense, is a tough as nails lady named Delancourt (Jodie Foster). She is ruthless, using an equally heartless earth-dwelling minion named Kruger (Sharlito Cooper) to help in her beat back the riffraff. She even has plans to take down the President, if he crosses her decisions! One day, Max meets Frey, unexpectedly, when his arm is broken by an over-zealous droid policeman. They make plans to meet for coffee in a few days, even though she seems reluctant. That's because her young daughter is dying of leukemia. But before this date, Max becomes locked in a room at work, due to a malfunction. He receives a lethal dose of radiation and is given five days to live. Well, its goodbye "straight" life, as Max wants to live. Therefore, it is necessary for him to re-align with a criminal named Spider, who can get him on a shuttle to Elysium, where he can be cured by the machines. Oh, Max, its tit for tat, as Spider asks him to kidnap an Elysium leader, Max's former boss, and download the man's memory in a special chip. With this information, Spider and company can take down those in charge on Elysium and benefit everyone on earth. But, will Delancourt and Kruger allow that to happen? Also, can Max, who is given bionic arms and legs, fight them to save himself, too? This new Max, in the tradition of Mad Max, is an anti-hero with a big heart. He's just the person earth needs to work miracles for the "little folks". As such, Damon does a great job as the main star. Foster, too, is enormously entertaining as the Stalin sister in charge. Braga, Cooper, Diego Luna, and all of the others do fine work as well. Since the film is another in a long line of apocalyptic films, it has to have good effects, and it does! The decay on earth and the patched-together housing and vehicles are wonderful to behold. Equally fine is the glorious Elysium, which resembles a posh resort in some warm, fabulous climate. What a nice touch, too, it is to see the "healing machines", last time I saw those, the Sun God of Stargate was keeping himself young and beautiful. Critics may charge that the film mimics other movies of a similar theme and that the ending is predictable, but this viewer says it has plenty of originality to enthrall. Elysium is a great late-summer film that will please its audiences the world over.