The future's a bloody mess, literally

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2013)

Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium" is far more flawed than his debut "District 9", yet it is still skillful summer entertainment and a worthy continuation of the thematic backdrop that Blomkamp has set in the latter - futuristic social inequality. This film however takes the quote "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" to orbital heights, literally, as the eponymous 2001-esque space colony gets filled to the brim with the wealthy while the rest of the poor folks gets damned on a vastly overpopulated Earth. Here in Los Angeles, a criminal named Max (Damon) struggles to board Elysium after a freak accident, while corruption and paranoia seethes through Elysium official Delacourt (Foster).
This social commentary on whether society is doomed by their own doing is used as a clothesline for frenetic sequences of violent action, all combined to form one feature-length race against time for the underdog to triumph over all. Thing is, the underdog has to face an even crazier dog, a disgruntled and psychopathic mercenary named Kruger hired by Delacourt to off Max for, um, doing good stuff. Sharlto Copley, the flawed protagonist in Blomkamp's previous effort, plays a despicable and barbaric villain so well here that he's in danger of being typecast as such, as opposed to Matt Damon who can play an action hero in his sleep. Even when Damon suits up in a clunky brain-controlled exo-skeleton following the accident, we root for him because he's a clear underdog that the audience supports.
Blomkamp's screenplay is flawed, with certain gaps of physical logic here and there, and the story seems cobbled from previous superior sci- fi classics. But where his screenplay fails, it's his direction and vision that delivers. Blomkamp successfully materializes two different worlds - rich and poor - in technical aspects, and presents them as a black-and-white prophecy. Gritty scenes in the L.A. slums on Earth are compelling to watch when compared starkly to the spectacular-looking utopia-like Elysium. Any space colony that can rebuild exploded faces is a colony worth living on, no? It must've been a challenge for production designer Philip Ivey to come up with concepts for both sides, but he succeeds.
Which brings me to the other factor - the action sequences, and Blomkamp delivers thoroughly on that aspect. Frantic action sequences mixed with crowd-pleasing and squeamish moments made me realize - here is a modern- day filmmaker who knows action, and what his audience wants and keeps on that promise. In my opinion they were far more exhilarating and refreshing to watch than any other movie this summer, as they provide no shortage of old school bloody thrills - and I do mean bloody.
"Elysium" may be flawed and familiar story-wise as it should have been half an hour longer with more scenes set in the colony, but it still has a thought-provoking concept and enough action to vastly satisfy both the popcorn crowd and the action crowd. This is a summer blockbuster that delivers.