Elysium

It’s a fiction with impressive amount of detailing. We have seen similar movies that focus on the issues that may happen in the future with the human race. Director Neill Blomkamp’s latest sci-fi Elysium has that very intriguing plot explained in a convincing manner with required amount of visual impact. With attire that is much similar to District 9, Elysium has that rough and real feel but the hurried entry towards the conflict zone makes the movie a little less from being called as a brilliant one.

Story opens in 2154, where the wealthy people live on an outside setup called Elysium where they are protected from deceases and other attacks. The common people are on the earth suffering from all difficulties. Max Da Costa works in a company that has built the security system of Elysium. On a particular day at work, due to an accident Max gets exposed to radiation and the only way he can survive from it is by reaching Elysium within five days. The drama’s that unfolds after this unfortunate incident and how eventually Max does his job in providing this service to everyone who is suffering is what basically Elysium all about. (If you have felt I have said the whole story, just watch the trailer; it has more to offer).

From that first couple of minutes in the movie where they show the present scenario in earth and Elysium itself we will be able to get into that atmosphere. Even with a very few shots, Neill Blomkamp successfully shows us the present situation that runs earth. But the unbaked kind of feeling began to annoy the mind soon after the entry of Spider and his attempts to infiltrate into the Elysium. It was too sudden and the way they got access to Elysium takes away that “highly protected” tag from it. Some conventional imagination that we see in these future oriented sci-fis is also there. But as I said the level of details they manage to include within the short runtime makes the movie impressive.

On screen Matt Damon is pretty good as the deceased Max. The attitude on his face was quite suitable for the character. Jodi Foster was also good in her character as the chief of Elysium. Sharlto Copley looked really awesome as agent Kruger. Rest of the cast was also good in their respective roles.

Neill Blomkamp has made the movie in a very engaging manner keeping the fiction much close to the real feel. The VFX standards are similar to that of District 9. Even the unconventional camera angles are still there. Screenplay explains everything indirectly, but fails to build a solid bridge to the core of the drama. May be it was an attempt to take it away from the typical Hollywood nature of making things “American centric” that made Blomkamp to place Mr. Patel as the chief of Elysium, but it wasn’t that convincing. Cinematography is very good and the background score also kept its standard.

Overall Elysium is definitely watchable for its detailing. A bit more runtime would have made it a really an amazing sci-fi. My rating is 3.5/5 for this Neill Blomkamp movie. It may not be as sharp as District 9, but this hippo surely has its moments.