District 9 on steroids. Max action, minimal social comment, good entertainment.

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2013)

In 2054 the super rich have abandoned Earth for a space station of opulence, Elysium. Earth is now the domain of the poor, unhealthy dregs of humankind who serve the industrial needs of the Elysium privileged but are never likely to receive invitations to champagne-fuelled soirées. Like an extreme version of the American dream, those on Earth stare up at the sky and dream of a citizenship chip in their arm that will give them entry to a society where life is perfect and illnesses are cured by a few seconds in a 'med pod'.
Max (Matt Damon) is a factory worker who is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation. The computer calmly informs him he has just days to live so Max agrees to embark on a mission for black marketer Spider (Wagner Moura) accompanied by his friend, Julio (Diego Luna) with a pass to Elysium his payment. Up on the space station, however, Secretary of Homeland Security Delacourt Rhodes (Jodie Foster) has no intention of allowing the mission to succeed and brings in her violent secret police forces, led by Agent Kruger (Sharlto Copley).
The immediate comparison to be made with Elysium is with writer/director Neill Blomkamp's feature debut, District 9. Elysium has the same initial 'look' to it with a rotting, corrupt and uninviting futuristic Earth and massive social issues that reflect the troubles of our world today. Blomkamp's work looks largely at inequality and injustice though a sci-fi avenue. His next offering, 2015's Chappie (based on his short film Tetra Vaal and again staring Copley) looks likely to follow the trend, at least in the sci-fi crime aspect. But Elysium is to District 9 what Aliens is Alien. He has moved from thought-provoking human study set against a particular backdrop, to full on action thriller that is more about weaponry and spectacle than surprise.
But that's no criticism in itself. I loved Aliens. It's just a different type of film than Ridley Scott's original. Elysium is a good film. It's a fun and engaging film. It's just important to know from the outset there are no surprises, it's formulaic and pure entertainment using social comment as an excuse rather than it's raison d'être.
Damon further flexes his muscles as the intelligent action hero, ably assisted by good-looking sidekick, to selflessly take on the two-dimensional evil, arrogant villain. In her role, Foster is a joy to watch. It's rare we are permitted to watch her chomp scenery and get down and dirty with people's lives. Her Rhodes is deliciously conniving. She is the power-hungry bitch you can't help enjoying while looking forward to her destructive end.
Likewise, Copley is on overdrive here, dosing up his District 9 persona with a bucket load of steroids and going on the rampage. This isn't another performance of desperation and panic; in Elysium, his Agent Kruger is a gun-totting, black-hatted Wild West sheriff hurled forward in time a couple of hundred years and given access to weaponry bad sheriffs couldn't even dream of.
Luna feels underused as Julio and perhaps the predictable thread of Max's childhood friend, Frey (Alice Braga), and her sick daughter could have been jettisoned in favour of a deeper relationship and screen time for these two characters.
Enjoying District 9 is a fine starting point when approaching Elysium, but leave your expectations at the door. You'll see the conclusion almost from the moment the opening credits fade but it's still an enjoyable romp.
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