***
In the not too distant future, Earth is a barren wasteland, overrun with sickness and poverty. The rich no longer live on Earth, but a huge spaceship floating in space called Elysium. On Elysium, there is no sickness, thanks to a pod-like vessels that heal every broken bone and cell mutation. Down in the desert-like remains of Los Angeles, we meet Max, ex-petty criminal, who succumbs to a severe dosage of radiation poisoning. He has days to live, and vows to make it up to Elysium.
Visually, the film is excellent. Elysium has obviously been well-planned and looks great from pretty much all angles. The interiors are well realised and juxtaposes the squalor of Earth well - the shack in which Max (Matt Damon) resides is wholly unpleasant and believably so. The political undertones also come through well, without the audience being knocked over the head with the overall 'message'. All the performances are solid, with Damon in control as the anti-hero and Jodie Foster as the scheming military advisor on Elysium. Sharlto Copley is excellent as the psychopathic Kruger, but his role becomes rather diminished by the end and his character feels ultimately wasted. There are one or two tense scenes and a two rather graphic moments that had most of the audience squirming in their seats, but that is basically all the film has to offer.
This film is almost entirely surface and I felt that I didn't really care for any of the characters. The use of the sick child with childhood-friend mother was almost cliché and entirely predictable, although the overall ending was maybe slightly more refreshing than most summer blockbusters. There's also something wrong with the lip-sync on Jodie Foster's character, which is rather distracting. I'm also tired of the 'Inception-'type 'BLARRRRRRRRR' that now happens in almost every film - it worked a couple of times, but sci-fi films need to discover another trope when something dramatic is happening, or when we're zooming over desolated buildings.
Whilst you're watching 'Elysium' it is pretty enjoyable, but the moment you leave the cinema you feel a little empty. I can't put my finger on what makes it disappointing, but disappointing it is, and rather soulless. It is wholly unmemorable, which is a real shame.
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