More action than sci-fi

Rating: 6/10 (18 August 2013)

Neill Blomkamp's previous film, District 9, is one of the best sci-fi movies of the past decade. Unfortunately, his second effort, Elysium, is a sci-fi movie not suited for hardcore sci-fi fans, rather it is targeted more at the typical summer action movie fan.
The plot of the film is promising. The wealthy have left the diseased Earth to a space station utopia called Elysium. Max (Matt Damon) is a man with nothing to lose whose goal is to get there by any means necessary. However, the world that is created is filled with unanswered questions. What sort of government is left on Earth, as it seems that the same robots of Elysium keep order on Earth? How does the air stay on Elysium, since there is no sort of solid roof? Even Max's robot suit thing that is heavily featured in the trailers doesn't make much sense. He has the metal parts screwed into is flesh and bones. Any sort of serious blow on the metal parts should make the screws move and break his bones. There are several more questions that can be raised (which I won't at risk of spoilers), and they may seem nitpick-y, however the sci-fi genre is all about creating a believable futuristic world that follows the rules of science.
One thing I appreciate about the plot is that it isn't preachy. After seeing the trailer I worried it might talk waaaaaaaay too much about the whole 1% thing. Instead it seems to be more about race. It doesn't talk about it. It's just that most people shown on Earth are Hispanic while essentially everyone on Elysium is white, well except for president Patel. I thought Elysium was for the rich people of Earth. What, Oprah isn't rich enough? OK, so the plot is kind of shaky, but one part of District 9 which isn't lost is the interesting characters. Max is not quite the typical action star. He isn't out to save the world or restore order and justice. He is just out to save himself; he just doesn't want to die. The villains of the film, Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and Kruger (Sharlto Copley, the lead of District 9) are great. Jodie Foster may be a bit more of a cliché super power hungry evil person, but Kruger is fascinating. Unfortunately, I can't get into too much detail at risk of spoilers, but that man is crazy. And Spider (Wagner Moura) should also be mentioned. Blomkamp knows how to make interesting characters.
Another reason this feels like a generic action film just in a sci-fi setting, is the emphasis put on Max's love interest Frey (Alice Braga). She seems like an unnecessary character. She is there to provide him with more motivation and a character arc, but that role could've been filled by his friend Julio (Diego Luna) just as easily, without some necessary romance.
Looking at the film as an action film it works: great action sequences, cool futuristic weapons and plenty of explosions. Just don't look for a classic sci-fi film like District 9.
tl;dr more action than sci-fi, interesting characters, plot notsomuch