Great ring to it

Rating: 7/10 (15 August 2013)

Synopsis: An ex-con working in a droid factory is accidentally exposed to radiation and is given only 5 days to live. His only hope is to make it to Elysium (space station for elites). However, things gets complicated when some extremely confidential data is downloaded in his brain.
Most of the attempts to infiltrate Elysium are shown in need of Health pod -- a device that can cure anything. Reserved only for the citizens of Elysium, health pods are not available to the residents of Earth. And this forms the basis of the movie.
The director has tried to weave in moral fibers within an out and out action movie and is largely successful in it. I also liked that he kept pace of the movie fast. While blending in elements of emotion, he made sure that it doesn't drag. Soundtrack is also nice and matches the overall mood of the story.
Matt Damon gives a good performance as an ex-con who is driven by his selfish motives. He doesn't care for the data stored in his brain and what good it could do to the Earth. All he wants is to save his own life by any means necessary. Another thing that I liked was that the director refrained from making protagonist a superhero. The exo-skeleton that was fixed on to him gave him subtle advantages. If this was any other movie, the exo-skeleton would probably have allowed him to become Hulk.
Jodie Foster as the iron lady leaves an impression. Though there is hardly any character development, it is shown that all her actions (particularly Immigration handling) are a result of her strong conviction and responsibility to save Elysium from the dystopic Earth.
Sharlto Copley as the sociopath Kruger deserves a special mention. His character gives this movie what it exactly needed. A strong and maniacal antagonist.
Though set in a dystopian future, this movie raises superb questions. Should special medical care be allowed only to the rich? Don't the life of poor mean anything? Can the Class divide be abolished in some way? It's great to see a movie with a real message behind it. Hope other directors take a hint and make movies with similar themes.