Elysium film review- by IGN Reviews on Youtube

Full text transcript of Elysium film  review

Back in 2009, District nine was a breath of fresh air on a crowded summer of sequels and remakes written and directed by Neill Blomkamp. The film took the issue of apartheid and turned it into a smart science fiction feature. It also happened to kick all kinds of us the memorable site of anti-hero Vicas blowing stuff up, making it the most spectacular blockbuster of the year. For years on, Blomkamp returns with Elysium, an equally intelligent sci fi flick that this time tackles the issues of poverty, immigration and overpopulation, but also features multiple scenes of stuff getting blown up. The year is twenty one fifty four, and the world has been divided up into two very distinct groups the poor who live on the disease and overcrowded Earth, and the rich who have fled to a manmade space station called Elysium to preserve their privileged way of life.

And guess where our hero Max is stuck? Played by Matt Damon. Max’s ambition is to make it to Elysium, but instead he endures a miserable existence on Earth, serving parole and laboring on an assembly line. His situation is made all the worse when he suffers an accident at work, which threatens his life, making Max need to reach Elysium all the more pressing. Meanwhile, up on the space station, Elysium Defense Secretary was played by Jodie Foster, identifies the opportunity for a coup and makes a grab for power. Shoot them down. She activates a sleeper agent called Kruger, who revels in death and destruction. And soon his action said all three of them on a collision course that could save or destroy the planet. It’s gripping stuff made chilling by the fact that in spite of the film’s many flights of fancy, the premise is all too believable and it looks amazing. Blomkamp is a true visual artist, and the future world that he’s created is a feast for the eyes. Matt Damon is as good as ever. Is Max taking on at times morally ambiguous character and making him instantly sympathetic? But he’s overshadowed by Sharlto Copely, who was so good as Vicas in District nine. This time around, he plays the crazed Krueger, who’s a man of few words when he first appears on screen. But as the film progresses, he comes to dominate proceedings, so much so that you hardly notice the presence of Damon when the two stars share the screen, which is no mean feat. But at least he is Neill Blomkamp film, and yet again he’s hit one out of the park. Minor criticisms would be a lack of humor and a plot that follows the conventions of the genre a little too closely. But if you’re looking for an intelligent science fiction that’s bursting with smarts and social commentary, you need to look no further.

So while the director’s view of the future is grim, it’s also hugely entertaining. Making Elysium the most interesting blockbuster of the summer marking. Blomkamp is one of the most exciting directors working today and earning an IG and score of eight point five out of 10.