Not much depth, but the surface looks nice

Rating: 7/10 (12 August 2013)

Although competently made, Neil Blompkamp's sophomore effort comes as bit of a disappointment. A little more attention and effort toward the story and characters and Elysium could've reached the soaring heights of the first-rate thriller that was District 9. As it stands, Elysium turns out to be a solid sci-fi movie that features nice performances and a couple of well-constructed action sequences.
While District 9 chose to focus on race issues, Elysium decides to center class and immigration conflicts at the heart of its story. The story begins by basically explaining that, in 2154, the overpopulation of the Earth led to the construction of an outer-space utopia orbiting the planet. Those who can afford it may choose to live there, but those who can't are stuck in the hell-hole that is Earth, or specifically for the purposes of this story, L.A. Without trying to reveal too much, the protagonist Max De Costa (Matt Damon) is an ex-con on Earth. He has a singular goal of getting to Elysium someday, until things take a turn for the worse, and he must find a way to turn "someday" into "very, very soon."
From here on out it's pretty standard affair. The character development that gave the action in District 9 poignancy and heightened tension is not to be found here. Damon, Alice Braga, and Sharlto Copley all play their parts well, but just aren't given much to do besides look serious, scared, or scary, respectively. You want to care about the plights of the protagonists, and you want to find the villains menacing, but the scant attention to characters and dialogue make it hard to do so. Still, the visuals are striking and beautifully rendered, and the gun fights are well-choreographed (can't say the same for the shaky cam used on hand-to-hand combat sequences). What results is an entertaining, yet predictable sci-fi actioner. Elysium might contain big ideas and a fascinating world, but doesn't have anyone within the film to connect us to either.