A solid sci-fi action movie that doesn't tap into its full potential.

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2013)

Niell Blomkamp gave us the extraordinary District 9 back in 2009, and proved to us that his space in the sci-fi genre was legit. For me, Elysium was highly anticipated with how much I loved D9 and while many will be quick to compare the two, they are different films and I will treat them as such. So, while Elysium was an overall solid entertaining film, you can't help but think of the vast potential this movie had to when the end credits role.
2154. That's the year the movie is set in. Technology has come a long way, and has allowed for the construction of a massive space station, where the rich and privileged reside. The rest of humanity is left to live on a now-deprived Earth. You can really tell how much the residents of Elysium separate themselves from those of Earth, especially in a scene where CEO of Armadyne (the company behind all of Elysium's tech) tells an Earth citizen to not breath his way. Eventually, bad things happen and Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) is forced with finding a way to get to Elysium to survive. The plot is solid, and is largely pushed forward by co-star Jodie Foster, who portrays Secretary Delacourt, a woman in search of power and protection of Elysium. There are some easily predictable moments, however, so the plot doesn't always have you on the edge of your seat. Though the focus of the movie is on Damon's character (for the most part) I felt as though the plot could've been more, larger I suppose. In a futuristic setting, there's usually always room to make an expansive story, and I felt like this film could have been bigger.
The movie takes a while to get rolling, but when it finally does, the action is tight and exciting, and the futuristic setting allows for some cool weapons and gadgets to be used, including the exo-skeletal suit Max receives. The action is the best part of the film, and is complimented by a final 20 minutes of high-energy, exciting and emotional action. Another small negative I had, was that Max's suit is also never exploited to it's full potential, never showing its true strength and ultimately leaving Matt Damon's character at times seem a little too weak and never totally awesome. The story was good, and the action was great, two things you very much need in a strong sci-fi action movie.
Along with the plot, the cast is all-around solid although some characters don't get enough time to develop into better characters. Matt Damon is terrific like usual and his character, Max, is well developed. But the supporting cast doesn't share the same fate. Delacourt (Foster), aforementioned CEO John Carlyle (William Fichtner), and Max's close friend Julio (Diego Luna) never get enough room to expand as more meaningful characters. Max's love interest, Frey, played by Alice Braga, is a better developed character than the previously mentioned ones, and the movie benefits from it, adding a heart-felt emotional side of the movie with her and her daughter's story. Also, aside from a few parts, humor is practically non-existent, but that doesn't affect the film in any large way.
The film's visuals are beautiful, displaying a futuristic Los Angeles that is now in ruins, and of course, Elysium in a larger-than-life creation that is stunning to look at, more outside than in. The weapons and ships look pretty cool for 2154, and the robotic androids that keep the order also look sharp and science fiction-y. The audio design is great, giving cool sounds to the guns and gadgets and the score provides an emotional top-heavy soundtrack but this is good for the most part.
Was Elysium everything I expected it to be? No. But was it a solid and entertaining film anyways? Absolutely. Elysium might suffer from untapped potential in almost all areas of the movie, story and characters especially, and a couple of predictable moments, but overall, Elysium is a wonderful creation that opens a setting for great sci-fi action, beautiful visuals, and another wonderful performance from Matt Damon. Niel Blomkamp might not have brought all of that District 9 magic with him to Elysium, but he still proves that his role as a major player in this genre is still alive and kicking.
7.5/10 (IMDb score rounds to 8)