Another Solid High-Octane Sci-Fi Entry from Blomkamp

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2013)

Elysium is Neill Blomkamp's second entry in the Sci-fi genre, following the tremendous success of District 9, which I loved. Now, all the pressure was on Neill Blomkamp to follow up to such a ground- breaking Sci-fi film that'll likely go down as a classic in the near future. Anyways, I hope too many don't mind because I just might go off on a political rant during the review as the film, itself, encourages such discussion- criticism on our way of living and the way we deal with medical care as a whole- because a surprising amount of critics and average movie-goers are panning the film, and a lot of them are blasting its political message, being that our current state of affairs will lead to a world where the poor will be left with no medical coverage or security whilst the privileged (the rich) live on some distant technological land in space where they have instant medical services and, basically, all the resources and attention is focused on such people, which make up a very miniscule portion of the total population, proved by the relatively small size of Elysium (the land occupied by the wealthy) when compared to Earth. Now, I promise I won't be spoiling anything, but the ending has left countless individuals enraged by its implications- most of them being conservative. Actually, I'm pretty sure a lot of people were completely fine with the world and the handling of affairs in the film because they're selfish, ignorant, and simply uninformed.
Continuing on, one of the films greatest feats is its cinematography, ranging from the gritty and hopeless look of Earth to the beautiful and paradisiacal look of Elysium. In addition, the film's concept is fairly unfamiliar, and even if some people complain about it being familiar, oddly enough they rate films like The Avengers with a 92%. Elysium isn't all about explosions and pointless clichéd fights; it carries with it a weighty message that will leave concerned and informed individuals thinking about our functionality as a society. Those are the kind of films that should overcrowd the numerous superhero and zombie movies out there. And before someone approaches with the bullshit of it being my opinion, it's really not. It's more of a proper form of filmmaking- strong and memorable storytelling that isn't infested with Hollywood clichés.
On top of all that, the cast is great. Matt Damon (Max), as usual, delivers a fine performance as does Sharlto Copley as the film's twisted villain (Kruger). Now, again, if people want to read paragraphs of the premise for the film, then look elsewhere. I hate when stories are spoiled for me, and I don't understand the kind of people who're willing to view 5-minute trailers that explain every single twist and turn in a certain film. Sorry, if you want to hear more about the characters or story and spoil yourself, I'm not going to be doing that in my reviews. What I'll be doing is critiquing the film's overall quality without compromising anything you'd be much better off surprising yourself with. All I'll say is that Earth is facing overpopulation and lack of resources to support its inflammation. Thus, the wealthy relocate themselves up to an open ship (How is this possible? I never understood how.) in space while the rest of the population have no choice but to suffer back on Earth. There is no middle class- you're either rich or poor, and this concept does a great job of presenting us with the potential consequences of the ascending division between the social classes of today.
And so, with that being said, Elysium is able to provide the audience with a highly fascinating and believable concept all while presenting spectacular visuals from the futuristic guns and technological equipment to the impressing explosive action, and in that regard, the film does well to balance the drama and the action cleverly instead of overloading its watchers with non-stop, intense, and messy action that spans thirty to forty minutes. Neill Blomkamp trusts his viewers and hopes they possess the intelligence to enjoy such a story instead of desperately longing for setpiece after setpiece of invincible characters pummeling each other.
After all has been said and done, Elysium is a breath of fresh air, but it never matches District 9's rare quality. In my book, a masterpiece has to shock you with its superior quality and keep you in your seat from beginning to end, making sure your eyes don't leave the screen. I'm not sure if it was the pacing or my attention span, but Elysium couldn't hook me that way. So, I can't rate it a 5. I just can't. The film's final act transforms into a casual-audience-friendly conclusion after awing us with its enthralling first two acts. As I previously stated, it might feel slightly familiar (according to numerous critics), but it tries hard to stand out from the crowd. At the end of the day, I can say that Elysium is definitely one of the best films of the year so far, and moviegoers would be utterly insane to miss this experience.