Another sci-fi that fails to capitalise on an interesting premise

Rating: 6/10 (7 March 2020)

Elysium rested upon quite a thought provoking premise, and one that is becoming more and more relevant for our times. One of my major gripes however was how familiar the whole film felt. There was a definite feel of District 9 to the futuristic earth, and the tone and atmosphere was nothing revolutionary. Blomkamp creates masterful and beautiful visuals in his direction, but the similarities to District 9 were a little too jarring for me.
The plot was largely predictable and didn't always move along at a steady pace. There seemed to be some indecision as to whether this wanted to be an action movie or a dystopian film with an underlying moral message. Ultimately it found itself stuck somewhere between the two. When it did come to the action I found it slightly derivative although not unenjoyable.
Matt Damon was fine... nothing special and nowhere near his best. Jodie Foster's performance was rather odd as I'm not sure what she was doing with her accent. Copley's villain was a tad tedious and I was bored with him almost as soon as he was introduced.
There is nothing dramatically with Elysium, however I did expect better from a team up of Blomkamp and Damon.
Unfortunately what could have been quite a clever sci-fi ended up being rather generic. A forgettable film, but one that's worth a watch in a pinch.