Interesting sci fi allegory on wealth and poverty

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2013)

Elysium may not trip off the tongue but it is a film that deserves to be at the top of your list at moment. Avoiding the usual pitfalls of sci-fi and blockbuster movies of late we have here a cerebral movie that takes us on a journey through two worlds running in parallel, one is earth the dystopia and another is a super space station utopia.
Elysium is the man made super space station that is pure hedonism for the plutocracy, whilst the earth is a rotting corpse. Matt Damon is our man who finds himself with his life and death entwined in the whole mystery of the worlds, and has dreamt since a child to go there.
The film is in some ways a parallel story to 'District 9' if you have ever seen it. Produced by the same people, this film follows pretty much the same filming treatment. Cold and dark people run the world and our heroes are the every day people battling the elements.
Matt Damon is perfect as our eponymous hero and is ably supported by his fellow cast, with a very notable performance too from Jodie Foster. Sharlto Copley steals the film as a sadistic bounty hunter.
This film captures contemporary issues, covering public health services, politics, governance, equity and corruption. It's quite bold in that sense. It doesn't give an answer and admittedly has a partisan line on these issues but it will make you think.
This isn't to say that this state of affairs will happen as is depicted in the film, that's not its point. Like say 1984,it is a snapshot of a frame of some fictional world for us to test our ethics.
Whilst most other films concentrate on the big set piece action scenes, for a change this one put the story first. The settings are jaw dropping at times but all mould in with the storyline which is the crutch of the film.
For a good thought provoking film, give this a try. You will very much enjoy it.