Solid entertainment, but amateur storytelling

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2013)

Elysium has such an intriguing concept, I went into the film very eager and excited for Blomkamp's follow-up to District 9, thinking he'd overcome his flaws. But after viewing Elysium, I've come to the conclusion he needs a writing partner.
This film takes place in 2154 after a prologue establishing the wealthy have fled the now overpopulated and polluted Earth in favor of a space-retreat called Elysium. Earth citizens try their best to ensure passage to Elysium on the black market, but they never succeed thanks to Jodie Foster's Secretary of Defense, Delacourt. These people, it establishes quickly, want access to the medical technology held on Elysium (early in the film a mother cures her daughter of her severe fractures in one of these pods). Think now on how neat a concept it is: the Earth has become a slum and their put all of their effort to MAYBE be healed on Elysium. Getting up and being in perfect health for the few minutes is enough for them. All political implications aside, Blomkamp has thought up a hell of a dystopia. Earth is no less interesting, however he never follows up on either of these.
What I enjoyed about District 9 was how immersed we became with the prawn slum, and how unconventionally we became so. Elysium lacks this. It's very much a straight shot, cause-and- effect plot. It's very much amateur writing. Elysium lacks any trace of dramatic irony, though I noticed multiple instances where it would be necessary, and also any sort of character development (jodie Foster seemed to exist only as a catalyst for the plot).
The story follows Max (Matt Damon, who does a very good job adding certain depth to an otherwise listless character), as he is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation. This starts the ball rolling on him getting to Elysium to be healed. He agrees to pull off a dangerous mission in order to secure unauthorized space passage, but he finds himself in more of a jam when he becomes the only cerebral carrier of a program to overthrow Elysium's government. SOmewhere along the way he meets childhood friend, Frey, but she doesn't add much. She just confuses the plot, since their history is never told, nor is she at all developed.
Where the film shines is in its visual direction, both cinematography and action. Elysium had a much better reason for its action occurring than District 9, but it also planned out its action better. Since Max was suffering from severe radiation poisoning, he was given an exoskeleton to keep him fit as a fiddle (you'll need to suspend your disbelief for much of this) and he ended up taking on the wonderful villain, Kruger. This leads to many fight scenes. However, Blomkamp would splice random shots of slow-motion to add structure to the action so you never really feel lost, though you may still get sort of dizzy. He also had some neat camera tricks where he would twist the angle mid-scene so the action did not get as boring. I also enjoyed how Max and Kruger's fights were more battle-of-wits than just duking it out. Max learned from his prior mistakes in fighting against Kruger.
This is, above all else, a very entertaining film. Blomkamp (from whom I expect much more in the future) kept the plot concise and the cinematography and special effects are absolutely beautiful. It's easy to follow and its political implications are smart and relevant. Don't expect any surprises, but it does pretty well at making what you expect fun to watch. It's just a good summer flick.