Elysium Review

Boy was this a movie I expected to like a lot more than I eventually did. I blame none of that on Matt Damon but entirely on Jody Foster who plays her part like she went to the Mel Gibson school of evil accents. It's so over the top and doesn't need to be. This kind of movie requires her evil to be more subtle than that if you want me to care and I didn't.

 

What form of British-ish accent is Foster attempting exactly? A Razzie-worthy performance.

The director, Neill Blomkamp, who also wrote this one and wrote and directed District Nine  - also has a mission here. Like in District Nine he tells the immigrant's story and how omnipresent, evil and cold that a bureaucracy is against anyone attempting to rise from their station in life.

In District Nine we saw how one man experiences what it was like to be disenfranchised. Here we see the disenfranchised take back the day. And I can't say things have changed for the better. Where District Nine was subtle with it's science fiction elements, this one bashes you over the head with them. Last minute saves and good triumphing over evil has been done better. I really just hoped for more than they gave me.

This seems like two types of movies or wants to be two types of films. One a social commentary on the division between rich and poor and the other a post apocalyptic revenge and hunt film. None of it works together though there are interesting things about both sides of this movie.

All the social engineering stuff falls flat but as a futuristic D.O.A., it's quite compelling. Matt Damon plays the much abused everyman with a combination of anger and resignation as he tries to make it to Elysium and their magical healing tanning beds. I like the powersuit he has fused to his spinal cord. Thank you science fiction movie for showing me something ELSE I can't have.

It's a strange Frankenstein movie at times also where the monster has to save the little girl, instead of killing her. Again, too much is going on and not enough of one thing to hold my interest for more than a little bit at a time. My mind really drifted during this one and not a good way.

Sharlto Copley's crazed villainy is being hailed by most but to me, I found his villainy cartoonish and kinda predictable.

 

I could have watched a movie about what life is like in Elysium compared to life on Earth but there were nowhere near enough scenes showing the differences in this film. I still don't know what was so great about Elysium aside from the fact I can be cured of anything that ails me.

Okay, that is pretty cool but how many channels do they get on their plasma TVs.? Do they have food replicators? Because if they can rebuild flesh and brain tissue they can certainly make me a perfect pizza everytime. Those questions just kept popping into my head and there were no answers to be had.

And then near the end, we get a touch of '12 Monkeys'? Less is more Neil. That is what made District Nine so great and this one NEAR great. I look forward to watching whatever you come up with next.

But Jodie Foster needs to quit acting. She is 'spooky' bad in this one.