If you didn't like this movie, you're watching it wrong.

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2013)

Most people who are reviewing here are looking through a District 9 lens and bringing their bias into the reviews instead of just judging Elysium as a stand alone movie. This movie was never going to be District 9: Part 2. If you are expecting that then you will likely be disappointed, and rightly so. Instead go into Neill Blomkamp's Elysium expecting gritty realism, a very feasible universe which could potentially be our reality in the not too distant future (and is actually an exaggeration of our current reality), engaging acting, and gory action galore.
As someone who hasn't seen District 9 (yet), and was drawn to the movie by other means (Matt Damon), I can confidently say that this is a solid, enjoyable and a uniquely unoriginal movie. Well, that is, while the premise is nothing new, the execution and actual progression of the story is good enough to capture your interest and imagination. For instance, one enjoyable part of the story is the lack of a clear 'right' side. Max, the main character of the story is a jaded, antagonistic prisoner on parole, desperate to get to Elysium for his own selfish reasons. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get there, work with criminals, steal, connive--not out of some altruistic duty, but to save himself. Meanwhile, Elysium is clearly an unjust society run by semi-corrupted leaders who gladly hoard all the commodities for the rich. Neither side is a picture of justice, but both sides are on a collision course which promises to be entertaining and exceptionally violent.
Warnings: Profanity everywhere, Blood and gore, Death. Perhaps reconsider if you are squeamish at the sight of the red stuff. Not family friendly, don't bring the kiddos. There is a predictable childhood romance but it is tolerable in the grand scheme of things, and really doesn't harm the story. Dare I say it evens adds to it. Unexpected plot twists may cause heart rate elevation. MATT DAMON AWESOME.
For those commenting on how the people on Earth speak Spanish and the people on Elysium speak French (all 5 of them), it is important to note that a) it is far more likely that all manners of languages exist on Elysium because the only criteria for access to Elysium is you must be rich, not you must speak X language b) the part of the movie that takes place on Earth is in Los Angeles so Spanish makes sense and c) both are European languages anyway.