User Reviews

This sort of thing is already happening on earth, and has been for a long time, the wealthy elite fencing themselves off from the poorer in society, and hoarding all the wealth for themselves. So this is a very real possibility.

The film is excellent, with great performances from Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley in particular, Jodie Foster is good if somewhat unused, as is William Fichtner, heavily using CGI though, but it looks very realistic CGI.

Well directed and paced, and action scenes done well, overall a very good Sci-Fi movie.

The current 6.6 average rating seems a bit low to me, it is worth an 8 out of 10 at least.

I tend to be curious every time a talented filmmaker gets to direct a film set in a pessimistic future/post-apocalyptic era : visually, it's the perfect setting for desolated landscapes and amazing images of urban chaos ; story-wise, it's the perfect occasion to insert social commentary and establish more or less subtle metaphors about our current way of life, our current values, and extend in a fictitious way many assumptions that we have regarding the fate of mankind and our very own planet.

In my opinion, it has to be one of science-fiction's most important sub-genres, since it leaves so much room to contemporary concerns (the environment, pollution, wars, immigration, etc.). Films like "Children of Men", "Looper", and "The Road" have greatly contributed to this sub-genre which, in reality, is not really new, but is constantly being redefined and given different treatments : "Children of Men" was an ode to life, "Looper" felt a lot like a modern-day western, "The Road" was a classic tale of a father-and-son relationship, and now, "Elysium", a thriller/action film/social commentary about disparity between the rich and the poor. Neill Blomkamp burst out of the scene in 2009 with "District 9", a very similar project in several regards, and blew audiences away with a clever mix of documentary-style filmmaking, explosive action, and the refreshing implement of an obvious social commentary.

"Elysium" starts off brilliantly, showcasing two opposite environments: the old Earth, which has turned into a huge ghetto where people live like cattle, and Elysium, a high-end space station where all the wealthy people from Earth have moved to establish their home. We are then introduced to our protagonist, Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), whose quest is quickly defined after being exposed to deadly radiation : With five days left to live, Max will ally up with a group of illegal immigrants to get to Elysium so he can get the proper medical attention he needs. But Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster), an evil government executive in charge of defending Elysium, will stand in his way, by hiring Kruger (Sharlto Copley), a psychopathic mercenary in charge of neutralizing all illegal immigrants.

The first third of "Elysium" is both fascinating and stressful : You are being introduced to the over-populated Earth, its hospitals, its industrial plants, its streets. These images are very reminiscent of the Johannesburg ghettos depicted in "District 9". And then, you get to see glimpses of the wonderful Elysium, a visual tour-de-force that ends up being shamefully underused in the film. The first moments Max is shown after being exposed to radiation, the film jumps into a nerve-racking tone, and it is very effective, as it is blended with several dramatic elements that range from innovative to pretty common.

Unfortunately, the pace slows down in the second third, where Max's story gets sidelined a bit, to the profit of a few sub-plots that involve an unpredictable, yet not so major twist in terms of impact on the story, as well as a sub-story involving the daughter of an old friend of Max. And while the twist is a welcome addition, the sub-story comes a little out of nowhere and comes off as a bit of a cliché. It seemed like Blomkamp was trying to preserve this family theme that was dear to him in "District 9", and that served the story so well in his previous film. Its unusual aspect prevented it from being too clichéd (an alien dad and his alien son), which is unfortunately not the case in "Elysium". It does not ruin the film, but it does steal its share of precious screen time in a film that feels a tad too short, and leads it towards more conventional developments.

Then the pace picks up again, with a third act that consists mostly of a bunch of pretty awesome action/fighting sequences, where the feeling of urgency from the original quest has pretty much left the building. In terms of writing, this is conventional stuff, but the technical expertise behind the visuals and the sound is a thing of beauty. Also, the dramatic elements displayed in the first third are briefly brought back to seal the deal, and do provide a satisfying feeling of closure to the story.

Overall, this is quality entertainment with impressive visuals, and a world of ideas that had infinite potential. And while "Elysium" exploited only a fraction of its potential, what it did exploit it did it successfully. Directing, photography, music, and performances are all superb. With a decent yet a bit unoriginal social commentary in the background that does get shelved in the second half to the profit of rock-solid action sequences, the strengths of "Elysium", taken individually, do feel a bit scattered, but make for an overall very competent package.

Guess what. I hate Crypto-era Matt Damon. He sucks.

But guess what. He's really good in this movie. And this becomes before the crypto era. So I let this one slide.

This film is particularly jarring. It's violent, shocking, mentally exhausting but seriously salient.

This movie isn't some predictive dystopian social commentary gem. It's a couple levels below that. It makes up for mixed messaging with SERIOUSLY stand out visuals. It's a delightful visual nugget with an all around intense perspective.

The runtime is perfect and it packs all the essentials and more in the visuals department. For myself, this film separated itself very quietly. While it lacks a web of developing characters and sprawling idea development, this film elevates itself through an air-tight look at a few relationships and very personal explosive experiences.

Matt Damon stars in the Sci-fi/political thriller Elysium, Neill Blomkamp's follow up to District 9, along with Jodie Foster as Elysium's Secretary Delacourt and Sharlto Copley as the main villain Kruger. Is Elysium on par with Oscar nominated District 9? Absolutely NOT! Not even close but it is still a solid sci/fi entertainment. It is a more conventional film than its predecessor, which I was not expecting from Blomkamp.

The film starts of very cliché and gave me some eye roll moments but it quickly picks itself up from reaching into mediocrity. They way it does this is by evoking political messages through out the film in relevance with today's society. Questioning our handling with immigration, military power, our health care. Which I found to be important in this film. Obviously me and Blomkamp share each others political stance. For anyone else it might seem like its trying to oversell its message.

I felt most of the cast were very under used. Jodie Foster's character really didn't have much to work with. She was just there to move the plot forward. Matt Damon served his purpose as the lead but by no means of the imagination is this one of his best performances. They were all over shadowed by Sharlto Copley. My God, is he great as Kruger! Right away we are introduced into this provocative-sociopath with no regard for human life. The story really needed this kind of menacing character. He is by far the film's best positive. Another negative aspect of this film would be its pacing. When we are given emotional scenes they don't stay long enough to settle and doesn't give that emotional impact you were hoping for.

Like District 9 it delivers on the the beautiful imagery. Using the very best Weta Workshop has to offer. From its big guns to the human-like robots, to the space station of Elysium. The action set pieces were just as exciting as its predecessor. The film really manages to capture all its budget on screen. My biggest issue comes from the excessive use of shaky cam. It was used when the characters were simply walking to the action sequences. I felt ninety percent of this film was shaky cam. Which got me a little dizzy since I ,unfortunately, got to sit in the very front of the theater. That might have something to do with it as well.

Neill Blomkamp has established once again that he can compete with the best Directors of the genre films. Elysium shows more flaws than his first film but they are overwhelmed by its positive aspects, to me at least. It was not a disappointment and it was a solid popcorn entertainment and a smarter than average sci/fi film.

Good surprise that this Elysium, after the promising District 9. Neill Blomkamp confirms his know-how in the framework of a US blockbuster. Here is still at work an interesting subject, with contemporary resonances. The film is also beautiful, whether it is the shots of the earth with this devastated mega-city where poverty and assembly line work reigns, or the shots of Elysium, the space station for the rich who live in a sanitized world, filled with greenery, where there is no more disease, and who exploit the poor earthlings for their profit.

The subject is not original and has been treated many times, but here the production benefits from the latest digital techniques: on this level the film is a success. And the direction of the actors is also very good: Matt Damon is very good. Sharlto Copley is still impressive in a crazy role.

Good surprise then that this dystopia is far above the average of the basic science-fiction super production (I include superhero movies as science-fiction).

Elysium

Elysium is at one point disappointing and at the other it is fine. It's a Dystopia which does not look like it could be too far away from the present. The longer you think about it, Elyisum already happens everywhere, and Neill Blomkamp is a South African native, so it becomes clear, that the message is about poverty and money in the future. The difficulty making such a future logic and scientifically well, is obvious, and it is not completely convincing. There lies the main problem of a sci-fi movie. You make either a starwarsy fairy tale or you have to make it very, very believable like the director's much acclaimed "District 9".

Plotwise it reminded me of "Wall-E" (which was better), "Oblivion", "Escape from NY" and some anime type plots . The story was very predictable from the beginning and for my taste, it could have been made completely PG 18 in terms of violence, to make it darker and more grim. Now, it looks a bit indecisive. The actors were fine, especially the less known, like Copley, Luna and Moura. Jodie Foster is great here, reminded me a bit of Tilda Swintons performance in "Michael Clayton". Matt Damon is a good actor, but he's a bit overused lately. In comparison to "Pacific Rim" it's clear, why the audience is more happy with Del Toros skyscraper-style movie: it's pure entertainment, reality is far away and the violence is very mild - you hate it or you love it.

To sum it up, I was well entertained by this. I liked the strong hints of real present problems. I disliked the predictable way the story unfolds, the overall mixture of action and violence and some illogic details. I definitely want to see more movies by Blomkamp and so it gets my 7.0.

ELYSIUM is a bitter-sweet social commentary that uses brutal allegories to reiterate the alarming rate at which socio-economic and geo-political ties are disintegrating all over the planet. As a follow up to the thought provoking and thoroughly entertaining DISTRICT 9 (2009), South African writer-director Neill Blomkamp's latest offering is yet another visionary parable to mull over. And while the first half is a frightening impression of the future of humanity, the second half feels rushed and diluted. Even so, the film has a lot to offer in terms of visual effects and explosive action.

Although Blomkamp's narrative begins in a dystopian future set in 2154, the story has a modern day setting that uses current events in cleverly hidden metaphors. Consider the following facts: The French Revolution that led to the execution of the monarchy; Derogatory sentiments deriding Android phones as "ghetto" products; Fatalities of illegal immigrants on route to greener pastures; The prospect of space tourism that only the super-rich can afford. Now imagine in the not too distant future, the extremely wealthy live on a pristine space station where state-of-the-art health care prevents people from premature death. The remaining ninety-nine percent of the population are left to suffer on the diseased, polluted and over populated planet we call Earth. Thus begins Blomkamp's setup where the premise is a thematic and often desperate struggle for equality. Amongst Earth's 'ghetto' population, blue-collar worker Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) has always dreamt of shortening the ever widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. Now diseased and dying, the only means of rejuvenating his health lies aboard the titular space station. But preventing Max from leaving Earth is Elysium's iron-fisted Secretary of Defense Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her rogue agent - the terrifying and almost psychotic Kruger (Sharlto Copley).

Where Blomkamp excels is in presenting a bleak scenario that is not only plausible but also discomforting. Considering the real world disparity between man-made utopias and an unfed infant in so called 'third world countries', it becomes all the more unsettling that this story is not entirely make believe. This is precisely what gives ELYSIUM a powerful yet thought provoking backdrop. All else, from gritty action sequences to the CGI built paradise in space benefits from the current going rate in Hollywood. On the other hand, character development leaves much to be desired. Two-time Academy Award winning Foster is either miscast or given very little to work with, but definitely my biggest disappointment in this film. There is simply no punch in what appears to be her first antagonistic role. Foster shares this downside with William Fichtner, another underrated actor whose talents are wasted in what should have been a key role. Thankfully, Damon and Copley make up for any noticeable lapse in the acting department. Together, their characters portray the fickle polarity of the human nature while also providing the film's testosterone fuelled action, including scenes of intense shootouts and sudden blood splatter.

In a year that coughed up quite a few sci-fi films, with some even treading into apocalyptic territory, ELYSIUM stands on firm ground as a film that tackles social issues head-on. And while this film is far from perfect, there are ample reasons why this film is still worth a trip to the cinema.

I have found Elysium to be a very underrated movie over the past few years and I genuinely wish that wasn't the case. It's gritty and heartfelt. While I do wish the pacing was changed from a quick story that feels like there isn't much to tell when there definitely is, to a longer movie that takes its time to introduce everyone, I still find it a great movie. And in a way, it's fine where it is. I've watched it multiple times and still enjoy it. The action is amazing, and there's so many cool things to marvel at. The relationships between the characters and the portrayal of those characters are on point. The visuals are great. And the ending is beautiful. I wish there were more installments to this movie but I love it. Hopefully it gets the recognition it deserves as time moves on.

'Elysium' starring Matt Damon is the perfect summer popcorn movie. It has everything you would want in a movie; a great cast that serves their purpose and visceral special effects that might even land the team an Oscar. Everything including all the fight scenes were executed flawlessly. Coming out of this movie I had close to no complaints. The writing was a bit dodgy in some areas, but the great acting and effects quickly draw you back into the story. Neil Blomkamp, who dazzled audiences with district nine 4 years prior, does a fantastic job once again with this flick. His vision made the story very real to movie goers everywhere. Overall 'Elysium' is worth every penny to watch in theater.

After director Neill Blomkamp's fantastic debut film District 9 I was understandably eager to see his new sci-fi film Elysium. Unfortunately his second feature doesn't quite match up with the greatness that was District 9.

Visually the film is quite stunning and it has some great cinematography when it comes to the larger shots. The CGI effects are excellent and blend in well with the environment. The Earth of the film looks very gritty, believable and lived-in and the space station Elysium has this very sterile and futuristic look to it. You could really buy it that Earth could look like this with many decades of neglect and poverty. Everything's in disrepair and in decline. The rich on the other hand have every resource available to them in their own little paradise in space. The set and production designers truly did a great job with the locations.

Matt Damon is decent as the film's protagonist Max who is an ex-con now working on assembling the droids which keep order on the now overpopulated Earth. His role and the writing of his character isn't anything too special or memorable but he does what he can with it. He's just a no nonsense guy who is thrown into a difficult situation. He was also quite sarcastic and funny when he was dealing with the droids in the earlier part of the film but we didn't see this side of him at all after that. Alice Braga plays Max's childhood friend Frey with whom Max meets up again when he's an adult. I didn't feel much of an emotional connection or chemistry between them though and that hampered the film a bit. Their back story is told almost completely in sentimental flashback sequences which I didn't care for. The antagonists in this film were very one-dimensional and over the top. Jodie Foster plays Elysium's defense minister Delacourt and Sharlto Copley (who was also in District 9) plays an undercover agent named Kruger who is positioned on Earth. They're both very cliché and uninteresting. The writing of all the characters wasn't very good at all in this film and I didn't get emotionally invested in any of them.

The story isn't that great either and this then also takes away from the film's many action sequences because we don't have that big a stake in them. The film starts quite strongly as it juxtaposes the situation on Earth and on Elysium to highlight the problems of social and economic inequality. Then suddenly when the action starts, these issues fade far in to the background in favor of more and more action. From the trailers and the hype I really got this impression that the film would deal with these issues in a thoughtful manner. Regrettably this is not the case with this film. A big problem with the film is also that none of the characters seems to learn anything new or change their beliefs or anything like that. A huge part of the success of District 9 was in seeing how the main character evolved after spending some time with the aliens. In Elysium the good guys are the good guys and bad guys are the bad guys. There's no complexity, nuance or subtlety in any of them. We also don't get to meet any other citizens of Elysium beside the higher up leaders like defense minister Delacourt and president Patel. It would've been interesting to see the common people of Elysium and how they react to the situation, what their beliefs are and what drives them. The writing is also a little too pointed out and heavy-handed. Some of it just made me think "Wow, really?". For example, at one point the CEO of the droid production company literally tells some mid-level manager not to breathe at his direction. Things also seem to happen way too conveniently to push the plot along. Then again you could say this about many films but you really start to pay attention to these things when you're not completely engrossed in the film. This film surely would've benefited from a more subtle approach. The ending was also way too simplistic for my taste.

The action in this film is quite intense and it looks very impressive at times. The exoskeletons were fun and looked convincing. Then comes the shaky cam. Oh boy. It's really quite annoying and very often it's hard to see what's going on. They should've really taken a page from the Bourne movies on how to shoot action scenes. Luckily the shaky cam isn't there all the time but the action could've definitely been improved with a clearer shooting style.

All in all, the film has decent action with absolutely gorgeous visuals and it moves along at a good pace. Sadly the writing, the plot and the characters aren't that interesting and it's hard to get emotionally invested in this film. It's watchable and probably quite entertaining if you're in the proper mood for it. For me, the film ultimately left me a bit cold and disappointed.

Before watching Elysium, I read every review about it. And it seems to me that there are a lot of people that hated it. Most have said that the message in the film is what kept it 'likable'. Well, after I watched it, I thought to myself, "Why?". Trust me, don't believe any negative reviews about this film. Yes, it's flawed, but the film itself is really good.

Matt Damon was great in this film and he was a very likable hero. But Sharlto Copley, oh boy, he was one heck of a villain. He was so good, every scene he was in was disturbing, in a very, very creepy way. He owned almost every scene he was in and was the stronghold of this film. Jodie Foster as the other antagonist, err, she did her part I guess. Every one did a good job and they really enabled the film to lighten up in most areas.

So, this film was really good, and I was extremely pleased by it. The film did a nice job for making the audience feel attached to the characters, and I applaud to that. The action sequences were nice, and it didn't over power the film, something Elysium got right and what others sort of didn't. (Man Of Steel's epic final battle, was just TOO LONG!) Also on the scenes where it tones down and becomes emotional, was very well done, and it gives this movie heart. It's fast, epic, emotional and incredible.

Now, although the film is great, I only have one small gripe about Elysium. Now, the film is around about 109 minutes. I know, that when a film feels really good and it begins to near it's end, you don't want it to do that just yet. That's how I felt when I saw District 9, and I felt the same with Elysium. The film didn't feel rushed which was nice, but an extra half an hour would've been great.

Is it a Sci-Fi movie? Yes! Is it an action movie? It gets to it. Is it an epic Sci-Fi action movie? Yes. It is epic! It's definitely a must watch this year. I'm being generous to this film, because of the film's message consisting of poverty, wealth and equality. Watch this film with an open mind, and you will not be disappointed.

8/10

I thought this movie was really good movie if you're a fan of Sci-Fi. Obviously if Matt Damon's' in it it has to be great right? If the movie had about 25 more mins to do a few things different this could've easily been a 9 star movie which is what I consider District 9. I really like how Neil Blomkamp films his movies. Like Steven Soderburgh you can tell his movies by the way the movie is filmed. They have certain styles that you can clearly tell are far different from everyone else kinda like Guy Ritchie movies. Elysian is a very good movie and is well worth taking the time to watch it. Neil Blomkamp is great.

What seems to be a trend in big budget SF films occurred, once again, in Elysium. I'm continually impressed with what is being created (visual effects wise)today, but remain disappointed when it comes to the associated screenplays/plot lines. At the end of this film, I had the same, perpetual feeling that no one out there making SF films gets the message: without a good story, you don't have a really good film. Elysium hearkens me back to Prometheus, directed by Ridley Scott. I would have thought he, at least, would appreciate the need for a good story to match the visuals. Especially after being the brains behind Bladerunner. But, oh no - same thing. I suspect that so much talent and expense is spent on the visuals that insufficient amounts of funding and time are left for the associated story.

I just wish that, when someone comes up with future plans for making a legitimate SF film (sans comic book scenarios), they contract a real science fiction author to write the screenplay. There are any number of SF writers out there that can, I believe, turn out much better scripts than currently making their way to the big screen.

Bottom line: the world building in Elysium was excellent. Probably some of the best since Avatar. I wish there had been some of this when Bladerunner was produced. As an avid, and long time fan of true science fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the film. As for the story, it could have been a lot, lot better.

* No middle class just poor v rich.

* Enslavement but not quite. Society is run by a combination of warlords and CEOs. Zero political consciousness.

* Gig economy assassins. But even they live in squalor.

* Cyberpunk + trash aesthetic. Iraq war aesthetic across the whole world.

* Nothing works because why would you want it to, when you're stuck below? Meanwhile super advanced microchips.

* The robots while they don't violate Asimov's principles, they're really passive-aggressive and catty.

* The ghetto robot interface surgery. High tech microchip heists. Hacker culture is the one thing that did advance but they're limited by seemingly 1980s computers they have to scrap together.

* The comedy of Matt Damon's leading man stoicism reacting to all of this zaniness, demoralization, and hopelessness.

* (The big thing the film is missing a VR component to make life bearable below, giving some people the sedative illusion of a false Elysium. Like... WHAT IF you could wear a goggle over your eyes that shows the same busted up world except everything is green and beautiful, and everyone has deepfake smiles.)

* Most interesting is the poor v rich spend all their time plotting and fending each other off. Consider the discomfort that both their views are each other.

* Dysgenics on Elysium. Ie, it's not the geniuses who built Elysium but their grandkids who grew up there ruling it, making its destruction inevitable. 'Good times create weak men' etc...

* There is still spiritual consciousness but only below.

* Above is no utopia. They are not particularly more educated or gifted, but susceptible to primitive coups, corruption, bureaucracy. You kind of feel bad for them as being born there is being trapped, they're unprepared for any sort of reality.

* Opposite down below the most resilient survive and scrap by through friendship and brotherhood. Creates some kind of American revolution feeling.

I feel that there should be a series with this universe that explores the down vs up, because they struck prophetic gold on the whole thing. Plus it is epic. The flaws that were glaring back in 2013 feel minor compared to how incredible the production and concept is.

Planet Earth in the year 2154 is a sorry sight, at least in Los Angeles: everyone is sick and struggling, while robotic guards regularly harass the residents. The wealthy and powerful look down on Earth from the space station Elysium, which is rich with swimming pools and green lawns, and where diseases are cured within seconds. Ex-convict and working-stiff Matt Damon, exposed to radiation on the job (and with only five days left to live), strikes a deal with a low-rent space travel honcho to steal brain matter from one of Elysium's elite in exchange for unauthorized passage to the privileged world. Unfortunately, they choose the wrong citizen, a spineless corporate suit in-cahoots with Elysium's secretary to the president, who is planning a political coup. Plot-heavy science-fiction adventure is, rather surprisingly, easy to follow and moves at a quick clip. Damon gives a solid performance (when he isn't being asked to scream or hobble around in agony), and the costly production looks terrific. Still, the picture does begin to flag after the first half, with character motivations becoming unclear, and everyone acting hysterically or irrationally. I'm also not sure of the purpose of Damon's fate, which seems to go against the central plot function the film is operating on. As the cold-hearted secretary, who thinks nothing of shooting impoverished citizens out of the sky, a miscast Jodie Foster struggles with an underwritten role; I haven't a clue as to who this villainess is, and I'm guessing Foster didn't, either (she's also encumbered by, what I suspect to be, post-production dubbing on her dialogue, which is heavy with a faux-decadent cadence that doesn't work at all). Producer-director-screenwriter Neill Blomkamp's gigantic effort is rather enjoyable overall, although the hopeful ending may strike some as overreaching, even in this context. **1/2 from ****

Of all the genre's out there, science fiction seems to be the one rarely getting it right these days. When Neill Blomkamp burst onto the screen with his gritty racial commentary film District 9 it changed the genre for the better. Now he is back with his latest look at the future with Elysium and is bringing Matt Damon along for the ride. The trailers looked to deliver a similar vision of his previous film, but does it pack the same punch both in the story as well as visually?

Elysium follows a man desperate to get to Elysium, a space station where the very wealthy live in a pristine world, while the rest of the human race remain on an overpopulated ruined Earth. With nothing left to lose, he takes on a mission against Elysium's secretary Delacourt and the entire system to save himself as well as the millions of others on Earth. Once again Blomkamp has created a film that not only entertains but has numerous levels of social commentary without ever getting overly preachy. This time out there seems to be the health care system, over population, and pollution that all make up this world these characters inhabit. Matt Damon continues to deliver with him really stepping it up even more than usual here. What is great about his character is that he feels more like a normal guy with flaws and a reluctant hero forced into this situation as opposed to wanting to be there. You feel his desperation and in turn can imagine the rest of the planet and what they are going through. District 9 star Sharlto Copley plays a completely different type of character and is a complete badass. He steals every scene he is in and is near unrecognizable in this role. Every time he steps on screen you know something great is going to happen. The always great William Fichtner has a brief but not surprisingly good presence here. Jodi Foster is the only that just doesn't seem to work all that well. Her performance felt forced at times and she seemed to float in and out of the strange accent she is trying to use. The visuals are gritty, dirty, and beautiful all at once and are the main catalyst to make this film come to life. There is plenty of action here and at first seems to be playing it a bit safe, but quickly proves otherwise as the film moves forward.

This is one of the best science fiction films to come along in some time and has everything you could possibly want. Most will just watch this movie and see the action spectacle and cool visuals, but this film is so much more. Pay attention to the story and what it is trying to tell you and this film will have a greater effect on you. Some of the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but overall still gets the message across all while delivering a bad ass action science fiction film that should not be missed.

I am a Bourne trilogy fan, and enjoy watching Matt Damon, but this movie had stale conversations didn't really bring the act to this. The action was decent though, the stand offs were very entertaining and overall it was a good movie. Except for one major part, the story comes out as him trying to save himself, then turns to saving the entire planet, and then him saving his girlfriends daughter. Even there is the problem the characters were not developed, the viewer seems random flashbacks of his life one I think was around 3 times. Never though do they explain the story of him and his girlfriend and where does she get the baby from.

Away from children, and back to reality another drawback of the movie is it's politics system. Seems as though Mexico took over USA in 130 years because everyone speaks Spanish, and all the French people took all the rich people and flew out in space.

Lastly, are the effects, some were cheap (first crash landing) and some were awesome (elysium itself and the gruesome splatter effects). There were neat ideas put into the movie of how it is going to be in 130 years. The scene with the parole officer was amusing. Also, I gotta admit the shield that the bad guy was using was wicked, and the whole reconstruction/healing was neat or at least as long as your brain works (go see the movie you know what I am talking about)

This is my first review, thought I will try to write and maybe was a bit harsh with my rating, but I think the idea has potential, but should have been worked on a little more. Oh, my girlfriend thought that the awfully accented bad guy was Chuck Norris.

Elysium was easily my most hyped up movie for the summer. Neil Blomkamp came into the scene a few years ago with the amazing film district 9, so Elysium has been long anticipated. So the question is does it live up to all the hype and can it reach the level that district 9 did? Unfortunately the answer is no. Unlike District 9 the story here is a very simple one, with no real sense of political/controversial undertones, and that is a shame because Elysium's plot is perfect for this. Instead we get a very generic story with no real surprises and unfortunately Blomkamp decided to play it safe here. Now Elysium is not an awful movie by any means, in fact it's good but it the problem here is that it's weighted down by it's simplicity. The camera-work and soundtrack also hurt Elysium in a sense that the sound and music are almost non existent, and the camera work looks like it was filmed to be in 3d but then they opted out making it seem almost like a video game. Matt Damon brings in a decent performance but it is Sharlto Copley here who steals the show with his role as the villain. It's going to be a big year for sci-fi films but i would highly recommend watching the unrated sci-fi film oblivion over this. Elysium ends up playing it safe and becoming generic with no real surprises. There is a grand setting here but they never take advantage of that fact. Hopefully Blomkamp can get back on track with his next film, but i do expect great things to come from him in the near future. While not awful, Elysium proves to be somewhat of a disappointment. Rating : 6 out of 10

Elysium is the follow up, much anticipated by many, to the critically acclaimed District 9 from South African-Canadian director and writer Neill Blomkamp.

In the middle of the 21st Century, with the world now grossly over-populated and law and order seemingly at breaking point, the super wealthy have decamped to a satellite space station highly visible from earth, a utopian society free of poverty, illness and other such mundane woes.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of earth's population lives in squalid, cramped slums seemingly based on the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Needless to say, the rich are all too keen to protect their enclave and any unauthorised vessels arriving from earth are duly dispatched by being blasted away.

Jodie Foster stars as Elysium's ambitious and sociopathic Defence Secretary, as ruthless at advancing her own interests as she is at ensuring the purity of the over-sized Ferris wheel whose security is in her charge; Matt Damon is the working class drone desperately trying to access the other world for the treatment to cure his radiation sickness from which he will die in 5 days.

There was clearly an interesting concept waiting to burst out here, an opportunity to explore themes of wealth, inequality, social status, health care and immigration, but sadly it failed on almost every level to build interest or have anything relevant to say.

First, we saw so little of the societal structure or way of life on Elysium itself. Apart from Jodie Foster and a few other high ranking officials, the film showed us nothing of how this satellite was run. It looked as if everyone lived in a McMansion style-home – the type you find next to golf courses in Florida or on the Sunshine Coast. It all looked terribly sterile, reminiscent of the contrived town Jim Carrey inhabited in The Truman Show. We were not privy as to who cut the lawns, did the plumbing or washed the dishes. Superficially, the lives of these pampered people seemed hollow and totally unfulfilled – where were the galleries, the museums, the theatres or even a casino for those that might like that sort of thing? Frankly, the impoverished life on earth which was shown with enforced work in a fascistic environment seemed far more fulfilling.

Further, Matt Damon's motives for getting on Elysium were totally selfish. All he wanted was to save his own skin. Granted, there was then concocted an unconvincing love interest and a wish to save his childhood sweetheart's little girl but this too was just parochial. Where was the burning anger borne from social injustice, the wish to better the lot of all humankind, the working class warrior on a mission? And when the film's final denouement came it was head in a sick-bag time.

The script and dialogue were banal, as was Jodie Foster's delivery. Matt Damon worked harder to bring some interest to his character but he was up against it – but at least he tried.

The CGI was good – but that's pretty much a given in any well-funded Hollywood film these days. Close up camera work was appalling, non-stop wobble vision which made action sequences confusing. This camera style is so unnecessary and it really is beyond comprehension as to why film-makers persist in its use; in small doses it can be effective but when near constant it produces a feeling of nausea.

It is so disappointing to be relentlessly negative about a film but when they are as lacking as this one, the positives can be hard to find.

Elysium is a gripping scifi movie. There are some plot holes but what scifi movie doesn't have those? Damon as Max and Sharto Copley as Kruger are excellent. The plot isn't deep but the action never slows down. Is this America in 30 years, where the environment is trashed and the rich control health care? Those seem to be today's headlines every day. Yes it's fiction but a more possible fiction than many other scifi movies.

Well, as a die hard Matt Damon fans, I'm just so gonna watch this movie and I did. Yeap and I will always said his acting just won't fail me and let me down.

Lets talk about the movie shall we ? Firstly BRILLIANT GRAPHICS, thanks to modern technology, CG looks real enough, hardly notice that it had been polished by after effects. Visually Enjoyed watching the movie. Actually I see shadow of District 9 throughout the show, is it maybe coz of Sharlto Copley ? Well, you judge that yourself.

Talking about casting, I would say all the Actor/Actress were put to the right place, the acting was real, professional, I am so into the movie and I am so enjoyed of the performances of they.

Everything is best and sets, at least for me. Just a little bit disappointed of the story line, it's just so predictable and simple, I was hoping to get a little bit more from this Movie. But overall still a nice show to watch.

So I am voting a 7 out of 10 rating.

You definitely going to watch this, whether you're a die hard fans of Matt Damon or not.

Elysium is your standard tale of the struggle between the upper class and the poor...with robots and space ships in the year 2154. (The fact there's even THAT MUCH of Los Angeles left in 2154 is amazing on its own.) The rich have moved from a dying earth to the massive space station Elysium, and everyone not rich is forbidden to go. Also, Elysium has video-game-like healing stations that cure everything. EVERYTHING. And since you can barely get an Advil back on earth, the people stuck there are not too happy about it. Matt Damon plays your standard guy- raised-in-an-orphanage-wishing-he-wasn't-so-poor, while Jodie Foster plays the I-don't-give-a-flying-f*ck, shoot-first-ask-later head of security for Elysium.

Pros: - The first thing that will grab you is the scenery. Earth looks beaten down, but it looks fantastic in its devastation. Elysium looks like a dream world. The inner-core of Elysium looks like something straight out of Aperture Laboratories. (Portal, anyone?) - Jodie Foster plays a MEAN villain. And that's good. - Sharlto Copley, the star of District 9, has got some serious acting flexibility. He plays a grizzled mercenary that is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of his D9 character, but you'd never recognize him until the end credits. - The SHOOTING action scenes are very cool.

Cons: - I specified earlier that the shooting action scenes are good, because the FIGHTING action scenes are terrible. When anyone goes hand-to-hand, the camera shakes WAY TOO MUCH. I know that this is becoming a style for many movies, but...I hate it. You literally cannot make out what is happening. All I can think about is that there's a camera guy running behind the scene, who can't hold the camera properly. It's enough to give you a headache. STOP DOING THIS, MOVIES. - Matt Damon is...eh...dry. He just doesn't do much for the character. Seems like he phoned it in. - I hate to say it about a Neill Blomkamp-written movie, but the script just isn't that strong. I would have wanted more time for Jodie Foster to flex some acting muscle, and less time for Matt Damon to fumble through awkward confrontations. I never really got attached to any of the characters.

Be warned - there is some graphic violence.

Elysium is not a bad sci-fi action flick, but it could have been much better. It's going to fall well short of some of the other sci-fi flicks we've seen this summer. (Star Trek, Pacific Rim) Elysium scores a 3 out of 5 on the BDBOS.

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