Great .. could have been superb

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2013)

Neill Blomkamp (District 9) is a good writer director with a near-mastery of set design and CGI. If he could learn to take his lead-foot off the "social allegory" pedal he could be superb. But that is not likely to happen anytime soon, because Bloomkamp is clearly attracted to the Moral Pulpit like a moth to the flame. Not that this is a bad thing. At a time when Hollywood does not know whether it is coming or going (literally -- if you haven't been paying attention, Tinseltown product is now being released in Russia before it ever gets to Cleveland) it is refreshing indeed to encounter a film as finely crafted as Elysium. So well crafted indeed that Bloomkamp has unintentionally made it remarkably easy for his audience to ignore most (if not all) of the preaching and simply enjoy one of the most fluid sci-fi actioners since Alien. That's how good this guy is. As much as he would love to get each viewer alone for 6 hours and explain precisely what is wrong with our world - DUH -- he simply cannot resist the temptation to be an entertainer first, and a cleric second. Highly recommended. And for those with lingering doubts, a newly "buffed" Matt Damon has become the new Kurt Russell and a genuine Action Figure. IRONY ALERT: Damon could not be cajoled into doing the last Bourne but his role here is little more than Bourne Redux. Ditto for Jodie Foster, who turned up her nose at the last Hannibal, but here gives a performance that is little more than a placeholder for action to come.