It's no "District 9", but...

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2013)

"District 9″ was one of the most ambitious and dare I say most creative films in recent memory. The film's director, Neil Blomkamp showcased his directorial talent not only with the stylistic aspects of the film, but with the overall pacing and story. With that in mind, I would be lying if I were to say that the film did not have it's fair share of problems. "District 9″ was laced with inconsistencies and plot holes, but it's gripping story and meticulous attention to the production design forced me to ignore these nitpicks. Blomkamp's newest film "Elysium" is yet another sci-fi thriller. It stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley and is set in the distant-ish future. Basically, earth has become a poverty stricken, overpopulated wasteland due to mass amounts of pollution. The upper echelon of society has built a large space station in which the wealthy population can live. The space station is known as "Elysium", any virus disease or injury can be cured there with the help of the station's state of the art medical technology. Elysium's tight security is helmed by Secretary Delacourt, played by Jodie Foster who has a crazed thirst for power. The story mainly revolves around the character of Max, played by Matt Damon. Max is an engineer working at a large factory, building droids. After serving his time in prison for various crimes, Max has decided to turn his life around. Unfortunately, after a fatal accident at the factory, Max is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and has only got five days left to live. His only hope is to get to Elysium and cure his disease. To infiltrate the stations wide array of security, Max is forced to risk his own life.
This is a pretty over the top film, especially Jodie Foster's performance. Foster plays the cliché sophisticated villain that is always bearing a snobbish grin. She speaks in a very strange accent that is sort of a mix between British and..middle eastern or south African and to top it off, she exaggerates all of her lines to the point of laughter. Not a good performance on the part of Foster. Matt Damon gives an alright performance, I would have liked for his character to have more depth and development. Otherwise, he was alright. On an entertainment level, Sharlto Copley shines bright, his character, although over the top provides for some great entertainment. He is both psychotic and likable. The production design is just wow, it is beautiful. Neil Blomkamp seems to love to indulge in the look of his films. In the case of "Elysium" we see two different worlds, both equally impressive. We see the sleek and sterile Elysium and the ruined, dingy Earth. It is fair to say that the stylistic aspects of the film are a win on behalf of Neil Blomkamp. Like "District 9″, "Elysium" has a fair amount of political and social commentaries. This time regarding healthcare and immigration. I'm not going to go into great depths in regard to the film's underlying themes, because i'm just not up for it.
Here is a film that is incredibly over the top and at times ludicrous, even for a science fiction film, but it still holds up as an entertaining watch. It relies on it's stunning production design and overall style as well as the well played out action sequences. Jodie Foster did not live up to the expectations set by her previous films and at times was even laughable. Matt Damon delivered an alright performance and Sharlto Copley was as entertaining as ever. "Elysium" is no "District 9″, but it still holds it's own in the large spectrum of science fiction cinema.