Elysium

Neill Blomkamp is a master of modern sci-fi cinema. His last film, District 9, looked at racism targeted at Zimbabwean refugees in the slums of Johannesburg, albeit through the eyes of an alien race that had been stranded on Earth. Blomkamp successfully identifies social issues and presents them in a way that gets the public thinking.

In Elysium, the social messages are a lot more apparent. It takes place on an overpopulated Earth in the year 2154. Max (Matt Damon) is an ex-con working at a robot factory, with the hopes of saving up enough money to buy a ticket to Elysium, a space station that houses the rich and powerful, who are able to stay healthy with the help of med-pods. After an accident at the factory that leaves Max with radiation poisoning, he endeavours to get to Elysium and a chance at life.

Blomkamp tackles social issues such as overpopulation, refugees and wealth disparity perfectly in this film. There are scenes that somewhat humanise the people smugglers and the refugees trying to lead a better life. The other big issue is the overpopulation that some developing nations are experiencing. Some of the film was shot in Mexico City and it is amazing to see the state of how people live.

One of the only issues that I really had with the film was the poor character development. We never really get any time to fully connect with any of the characters or feel for their situation.

That is not to say that there was any bad acting. Matt Damon was fantastic as Max and you could really see his desperation to get to Elysium. Alice Braga (Predators) plays Max's childhood friend and a nurse at one of the big hospitals. Her character felt like a would be love interest for Max, but her sole intention is the survival of her daughter.

Jodie Foster plays the head of Elysium's defences, but she really has her eye on the position of President. She is ruthless and will do anything to get her way, even if it means using psychopathic sleeper agent Kruger (Sharlto Copley). Copley couldn't any farther from the loveable Wikus he played in District 9, in fact he is downright creepy. He has some very cringeworthy moments.

The visuals in this movie are fantastic. Blomkamp and his cinematographer are downright masters of innovation with a camera. There are a lot of techniques that defy explanation and I studied camera work. There were one or two shots early on that were headache inducing, but by and large, it's a visual masterpiece.

Verdict: Blomkamp once again crafts a biting social commentary that will really force you to not just think of the future, but the present as well.