From the director of District 9 comes another Science Fiction thriller,Elysium.
Just watched Elysium last Sunday night at SM MOA.This was the only good film showing last night next to The Conjuring and OTJ.And I thought that the plot was interesting so I gave it a go.Before I start this review,I would like to give some details regarding the film.Elysium is the sophomore directorial effort of District 9 director Neill Blomkamp.It is both written and directed by Neill Blomkamp and stars Matt Damon (The Departed/The Bourne Trilogy),Jodie Foster (The Silence Of The Lambs/Flight Plan),Sharlto Copley (The A-Team/District 9),Alice Braga (I Am Legend),Diego Luna and William Fichtner (The Dark Knight/Drive Angry).
Now,to start this review properly,here are the contributing factors of what makes it a review:>Story/Plot
>Acting/Performances
>Miscellaneous
>Direction/Director's Effort
Now,we may begin...
Story:
Elysium is set in 2154 where Earth is overpopulated and the poor live in Earth while the rich and wealthy live in a city outside the Earth called Elysium.That's the film main concept but it still has another.In the film,we are introduced to Max Da Costa,a regular worker who repairs droids or robots.While repairing a robot,he gets stuck in the repairing chamber and gets radiated by the chemicals the repairroom emitted.After getting radiated,he begins to learn that he only has 5 days left to live and that in order to get healed,he must get up to Elysium knowing that there are healing pods there.In order to get up to Elysium without a ticket,he gets a deal from his past workmate who stole cars with him to insert an exoskeleton that can steal data/codes from the persons from Elysium with the highest position.Elysium's story is somewhat reminiscent of other Science Fiction films from the modern classic Inception to the highly respected classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.Therefore,it is not original but I consider the plot interesting.Other than that,it is all seen and done before by past Sci-Fis.For my opinion,Elysium needed to be written not by Neill Blompkamp but instead other low-rent but smart writers.All I can say about Elysium's story is that needed so much more,the concept is very interesting but it needed to be executed properly.For Neill Blompkamp,I can say that he did a good job and I appreciate his effort but he should have done better and had some originality in some moments of the film.He should keep it up on his next film,Chappie.
Acting/Performances:
Elysium's cast aren't that well known,but I can say that they all did a good job.Perhaps the only ones whose performances I thought were good and praisable would be Matt Damon's,Jodie Foster's and even Sharlto Copley's.From the mentioned trifecta,the best performance or performances I would have to consider would be from Jodie Foster's and Sharlto Copley's.But if you really were to let me choose between Jodie and Sharlto,my pick would be Sharlto.Sharlto's character here is very different from the one in D9.If in D9,he played a reporter who then gets exposed from alien-liquid,slowly transform into a Prawn and then fully becomes one but in Elysium,he plays a cold blooded agent/hunter in pursuit of killing those who attempt to illegally enter Elysium.I loved Sharlto in here because I thought that he was irresistible not to praise,he became one of the film's high points for his strong,villainous performance plus,he was just bad-ass.Jodie Foster's performance was praisable also,but in my opinion Sharlto tops her.Sure,Jodie was amazing but her role was too common either way I also praise her having a strong portrayal.For Matt Damon's,I liked him too but his performance here made me remember of him from The Bourne Trilogy at some points throughout the film.Only these three are the ones that I praise,'cause above the rest they stand out as a trifecta.On to the other side,these 3 are the only known stars this film has.Matt Damon and Jodie Foster perhaps garners the film's star-power.
Miscellaneous:
Elysium had amazing camera work as I would say.The outer shot of Elysium (the space station) had me gazing at it beautifully.Then there's the aerial views of wasteland Earth or Los Angeles that I liked.Maybe for the way it fit into the story,since the film is set in a distant future where Earth is thrashed and has become a deserted wasteland sprawling with sickness.For the film's sound editing/score,I liked it but I thought that it sounded generic like the ones used in previous Sci-Fi films of last year such as Total Recall or even this year's Oblivion.Despite the lack of proper execution,one of the small things I loved in Elysium was the realistic side it was on which made me consider it a political Sci-Fi film.Despite the film's setting is in the future,the political agenda within the film made me realize that this is the futuristic depiction of how life is now.The wealthy are treated as if they were kings and queens while the poor are given less attention.You'll know what I'm talking about once you see the film.But what I didn't like that much in Elysium though is that it recycled one main theme from District 9 and that is equality.The film also aimed at equality like D9 did.Replacing humans and aliens with the poor and the rich persons.But I understand it,I think Neill Blompkamp did that intentionally.Maybe he's just a very realistic person,who thinks too political.I respect him though.
Direction/Director's Effort:
Neill Blompkamp made District 9 a masterpiece by having Peter Jackson's name plastered all over it and by having a strong script and plot.However,that's not what happens with Elysium despite having Hollywood A-stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster's name being mentioned in every marketing material.What happens with the film is that it had a quite decent plot but almost weak execution,almost no originality and the script was kinda dull in some points.All I could say to him is that,sure he made a good job but he should've kept it better,'cause Elysium for me is a letdown after District 9's massive success.On the other side of the road though,as mentioned above,I liked how me made the film realistic and gritty.
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PROS:
>Sharlto Copley and Jodie Foster's performances are outstanding
>Gritty and realistic,making it non-mainstream but still a decent Sci-Fi
film
>Damon was quite good,his character Max Da Costa was interesting.
CONS:
>The film's plot/concept sure is interesting,but wasn't executed well.
>Lacks action
>Some characters feel like cardboards and have no depth
>Some moments in throughout the movie have been seen before in past films.
>Script not written well
>Damon's acting felt reminiscent.
Verdict: Elysium may be one of this year's interesting films,but it almost fails to deliver.It lacks action,and the film may not be original but at least it redeems itself thanks to Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley who both gave fantastic performances.
Elysium gets 7.1 over 10 stars.
*Elysium is still showing in theaters nationwide and is rated PG-13 by the MTRCB theatrically distributed by Columbia Pictures Philippines.
**Want more Sci-Fis? Check out Oblivion,Total Recall (Original and Remake),Star Trek (2009),Star Trek Into Darkness and G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra/G.I Joe: Retaliation.All available to own on DVD for home viewing distributed by Magnavision Home Video.
That's all folks,thanks for reading this review and see ya soon 'til the next FilmReview.This has been TheMovieGeek.
But before I say goodbye in this review,check out this clip from the film first:
(c) 2013 TriStar Pictures/Columbia Pictures.
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