A Breath of Fresh Air

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2013)

The summer movie season is wrapping up soon. Hollywood had a great start this season with the "Star Trek" and "Iron Man" franchises' latest adventures kicking it off, as well as a polarizing adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" that I had more fun with than I was anticipating. Then we saw "Man of Steel", a movie that for many fell short of expectations. But these films, as with most films that we see playing in the cinema, weren't original ideas, they were sequels or reboots.
We needed something more, and sure "Pacific Rim" was a great original take on a giant monster flick, but something that was more than just a summer popcorn movie had to be somewhere out there. Now we come to the end of our summer journey, and our wishes have been met with "Elysium".
Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium" blends his signature top-notch sci-fi action with an intelligent plot, something that we've come to expect after his last feature, "District 9". And although "District 9" had a smarter and more intricate story, "Elysium" is no slouch.
"Elysium" appears to touch on many current issues in today's society, such as illegal immigration, health care, and the power of the elite few over the masses in general. The film takes place roughly 140 years from now on an overpopulated and polluted Earth that is orbited by a space station paradise called Elysium. Only the rich can afford to live on the space station. There is no war and there are machines that can cure nearly anything including cancer, so its citizens have virtually nothing to fear, as they go about their lives on the man-made Heaven.
Our hero, Max, played by none other than Matt Damon, is of course one with the masses trapped on the hellish Earth and he must fight for what he and his fellow Earthlings deserve. Preventing Max from reaching his goal of getting to Elysium is the film's main antagonist, Kruger, played by Sharlto Copley, who starred as the protagonist in "District 9". Shartlo kills it in this role, being one of the most intimidating villains on screen this year.
Kruger is an psychotic agent living on Earth who must prevent the civilians from escaping to Elysium. He is truly unpredictable in his actions which include blowing people to bits (something that Blomkamp loved to do in District 9) as well as harming women and children to get what he wants. The story builds to a terrific, action packed climax that is sure to leave everyone on the edge of their seats.
Though Copley's performance stood out, Damon's was near perfect and helped carry the masterpiece. Jodie Foster plays a corrupted Defense Secretary very well, and William Fichtner is great as a mean-spirited businessman. All in all, "Elysium" was the most fun I had in the theater all year and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see an intelligent action movie that takes place in the future but comments on issues in the present.