'Elysium' review by Captain Raptor
A part of me thought that Elysium might have turned out to be my favourite film of the year. First and foremost, it's written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, the man responsible for the 2009 work of genius District 9, and it's another left-wing science-fiction parable set in a dystopian future, an idea which is (to use the technical terminology) the motherfucking bomb.
Unfortunately, Elysium just isn't as well put together as it's predecessor. It's got all the same ingredients - realistic and unflinching looks at social issues via an awesome sci-fi metaphor, ostentatious action scenes, intelligent and subtle exposition - but it really doesn't blend together this time. Whether through poorer scripting, or a lack of focus, nothing Elysium says or does has any great impact. The actions scenes are intense, but it's nothing you haven't seen before (it's even got the Lara Croft belief in 'if one thing looks good in slow motion, then so will everything'). It's trying to make a point about the class divide and social injustice in modern society, but never says anything more advanced than 'rich people don't really care about poor people'. The one aspect where Elysium undoubtedly succeeds, however, is in the creation of its own world. The locations and design of the upper class' shiny, clean spaceship and the regular Earthlings' horrible, cramped, dusty surroundings are perfect, creating an excellent atmosphere, and the sci-fi technology that Blomkamp puts into the film (machines that can cure any disease, USB sticks that you can plug into your brain) adds a lot of intrigue. I found myself at times becoming enveloped and fascinated with the futuristic Earth, so I really think it's a shame that nothing better or more inventive was done with such an interesting backdrop.
When the plot of a movie, or the ideas behind it, amount to little more than zero, this is where characterisation and dialogue are supposed to swoop in and save the day. This doesn't even slightly happen. Matt Damon's Max is supposed to represent the common working man, and we all know that 'everyman' pretty much translates to 'boring and uncharismatic' in cinema. The film's other big star, Jodie Foster, is given a fairly good character who looks like she's going to be the main villain, but when the film starts to reach its apex she's just dropped out of the plot for no discernible reason. The only character that was entertaining in and of themselves was Sharlto Copley's temperamental assassin Kruger, but that's mostly just because he gets to do all the badass murdering - his dialogue is the most bland villain talk you'll ever hear ("If you want to save the girl, you'll have to go through me"), and had it been spoken by anybody else than Copley (who, having starred in District 9, probably has complete faith in Blomkamp's writing) he would be a thoroughly forgettable character.
Elysium crafts a fantastic world that contains brilliant visuals and some wonderfully original thoughts. Aside from that, the film's nothing like I hoped it would be. There are plot holes aplenty, and I strongly suspect that there's been a lot of studio tampering and interference to dull down any criticisms of the wealthy that Blomkamp included in his script. There's none of the nuances of District 9, nor any of its wry humour and excellent deconstruction of society. Despite some gripping action scenes and bright ideas, Elysium is ultimately as dull and uninspiring as the wasteland they filmed it in.
When the plot of a movie, or the ideas behind it, amount to little more than zero, this is where characterisation and dialogue are supposed to swoop in and save the day. This doesn't even slightly happen. Matt Damon's Max is supposed to represent the common working man, and we all know that 'everyman' pretty much translates to 'boring and uncharismatic' in cinema. The film's other big star, Jodie Foster, is given a fairly good character who looks like she's going to be the main villain, but when the film starts to reach its apex she's just dropped out of the plot for no discernible reason. The only character that was entertaining in and of themselves was Sharlto Copley's temperamental assassin Kruger, but that's mostly just because he gets to do all the badass murdering - his dialogue is the most bland villain talk you'll ever hear ("If you want to save the girl, you'll have to go through me"), and had it been spoken by anybody else than Copley (who, having starred in District 9, probably has complete faith in Blomkamp's writing) he would be a thoroughly forgettable character.
Elysium crafts a fantastic world that contains brilliant visuals and some wonderfully original thoughts. Aside from that, the film's nothing like I hoped it would be. There are plot holes aplenty, and I strongly suspect that there's been a lot of studio tampering and interference to dull down any criticisms of the wealthy that Blomkamp included in his script. There's none of the nuances of District 9, nor any of its wry humour and excellent deconstruction of society. Despite some gripping action scenes and bright ideas, Elysium is ultimately as dull and uninspiring as the wasteland they filmed it in.
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