A pleasant surprise

Rating: 6/10 (3 September 2013)

I chose to watch this film after not really knowing what it was about. I had a glance at the trailer and thought it looked slightly similar to After Earth so i wasn't expecting much more than a typical sci-fi movie.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much i actually enjoyed this film. The beginning was a little generic with emphasis on poverty which i can only assume had taken over all earth. In my opinion the film really begins about 20 minutes in with some of the scenes before being near enough pointless.
After this however the film comes to life with the introduction of Kruger played by Sharlto Copley. Matt Damon makes a brilliant hero but Sharlto Copley makes an even better villain - stealing the attention from every scene hes in. Even if you don't find the film memorable, you will certainly remember Kruger! The action/fight scenes weren't anything too special but they were good for a Sci-fi.
I was happy that there wasn't any crammed in romances and i think the friendship between Max and Frey was lovely as well as the friendship between Max and Julio.
Unlike many other films the ending wasn't at all rushed and it rounded up all loose ends and left me feeling glad that i had watched it.
I guess if you really wanted to you could pick faults with the science of Elysium like how it was built so quickly or how residents there could even breathe. But in all honesty i think you could pick minor faults in any sci-fi movie.
For a film that i new barely anything about i was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and i would definitely recommend it to others!