Elysium

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Elysium
Starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlito Copley, Alice Braga
Directed by Neill Blomkamp


In the year 2154, the Earth is completely over-populated.  Those who could afford it have escaped the planet and set home on an orbiting ship called Elysium, where you never age, and all illness is instantly cured.

Meanwhile, on Earth, it's not as nice.  There's slums everywhere, there's no healthcare, and crime is rampant. Max (Matt Damon) is determined to make it to Elysium, and stops at nothing to achieve his goal, including having a body suit infused to his body so he can infiltrate a wealthy man, steal his mind and use it to gain access to Elysium.

The man he chooses, though, has a secret of his own.  On Elysium, Delacourt (Jodie Foster) wants to rule, and she enlists the help of John Carlyle (William Fichtner) to help achieve her goal.  Carlyle is also the man Max targets to get to Elysium, so he gains all the information of the ship in his mind, and if he makes it to Elysium he can make it so that everyone - privileged or not - could live there.  Delacourt will stop at nothing to prevent this, and enlists the help of rogue agent Kruger (Sharlito Copley) to hunt Max down and kill him before this happens.

Director Neill Blomkamp is known for infusing politics into his films.  His first film - "District 9" - deals with the issues of race and equality.  "Elysium," even though he denies it, seems to be a clear message on the struggle of the haves and the have-nots, universal healthcare, and once again racial equality.  On Elysium, everyone is white.  On Earth, there's hardly a white person to be found.  On Elysium, all illness (including cancer) is cured, while on Earth, people die of the most mundane illnesses.  If you're a political person, this might turn you off to the film, but to me, I still found the film highly enjoyable.  It's very reminiscent of "District 9," and could've possibly been a sequel taken all the events that occurred.

The performances were decent enough, but nothing stellar.  Jodie Foster's character seems extremely one-note, and I thought there would be more to her than what she was given, but she still delivers another powerful performance.  Matt Damon is, well, Matt Damon.  The best features of the film are the overall story, the settings, the development and the action.  Once again, if you're going into this film for an action flick, you won't find  a lot of it.  It's more of a dramatic piece set in the future, but it's still an enjoyable dramatic piece at that.

My Rating: A-

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